The origins of health and disease: the influence of maternal diseases and lifestyle during gestation

Abstract

According to the Barker hypothesis, the period of pregnancy and the intrauterine environment are crucial to the tendency to develop diseases like hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, metabolic disorders, pulmonary, renal and mental illnesses. The external environment affects the development of a particular phenotype suitable for an environment with characteristics that closely resemble intrauterine conditions. If the extra-uterine environment differs greatly from the intra-uterine one, the fetus is more prone to develop disease. Subsequent studies have shown that maternal diseases like depression and anxiety, epilepsy, asthma, anemia and metabolic disorders, like diabetes, are able to determine alterations in growth and fetal development. Similarly, the maternal lifestyle, particularly diet, exercise and smoking during pregnancy, have an important role in determining the risk to develop diseases that manifest themselves both during childhood and particularly in adulthood. Finally, there are abundant potential sources of pollutants, both indoor and outdoor, in the environment in which the child lives, which can contribute to an increased probability to the development of several diseases and that in some cases could be easily avoided.

Prenatal maternal psychological stress and childhood asthma and wheezing: a meta-analysis

“…Verhaak) was involved in the final discussion for an independent third opinion, which resulted in final quality ratings. Based on these ratings, the studies were grouped into low-quality (0-3), moderate-quality (4-6) and high-quality (7)(8) studies.…”

Induction of the apoptotic pathway by oxidative stress in spontaneous preterm birth: Single nucleotide polymorphisms, maternal lifestyle factors and health status

“…Although previous data demonstrated that genetic factors contributed to gestational length and risk of preterm birth (12), non-genetic factors may also influence oxidative stress and redox system imbalances in the maternal-foetal intrauterine compartment (13). Maternal lifestyle (14) and health status, including diseases with onset prior to or during pregnancy (15), may influence oxidative stress and affect the apoptotic pathway leading to at-term birth or sPTB, both of which also appear consequent to a mechanism involving genetic and non-genetic factors, which may modulate the oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.…”

Life Course Health Development Outcomes After Prematurity: Developing a Community, Clinical, and Translational Research Agenda to Optimize Health, Behavior, and Functioning

“…In 1992, David Barker hypothesized that the period of pregnancy and the intrauterine environment have a profound impact on risk of developing diseases like hypertension; diabetes; cardiac, pulmonary, and renal diseases; and mental illness (Capra et al 2013). Intrauterine environment and early postnatal life are now generally accepted as important factors that may lead to increased risk for disease in adulthood (Hofman et al 2004).…”