Adult type 2 diabetes induced by intrauterine growth retardation.

The association of low birth weight with increased risk of adult obesity and type 2 diabetes observed in epidemiologic studies in humans was replicated in an animal model. This was achieved by bilateral uterine artery ligation in pregnant rats, which resulted in uteroplacental insufficiency. The affected offspring were found to develop obesity, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia--all of which are signs of type 2 diabetes--at 26 weeks of age. Reprogramming of the developing pancreatic beta-cells might have caused this effect, which lasted into adulthood.