Vickers M H, Sloboda D M
National Research Centre for Growth and Development, Liggins Institute, University of Auckland Auckland, New Zealand.
Front Physiol. 2012 Jul 2;3:242. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2012.00242. eCollection 2012.
Obesity and the metabolic syndrome have reached epidemic proportions worldwide with far-reaching health care and economic implications. The rapid increase in the prevalence of these disorders suggests that environmental and behavioral influences, rather than genetic causes, are fueling the epidemic. The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis has highlighted the link between the periconceptual, fetal, and early infant phases of life and the subsequent development of metabolic disorders in later life. In particular, the impact of poor maternal nutrition on susceptibility to later life metabolic disease in offspring is now well documented. Several studies have now shown, at least in experimental animal models, that some components of the metabolic syndrome, induced as a consequence of developmental programming, are potentially reversible by nutritional or targeted therapeutic interventions during windows of developmental plasticity. This review will focus on critical windows of development and possible therapeutic avenues that may reduce metabolic and obesogenic risk following an adverse early life environment.
肥胖和代谢综合征在全球范围内已达到流行程度，对医疗保健和经济产生了深远影响。这些疾病患病率的迅速上升表明，是环境和行为影响而非遗传因素在推动这一流行趋势。健康与疾病的发育起源假说强调了生命的围孕期、胎儿期和婴儿早期阶段与后期代谢紊乱发展之间的联系。特别是，母体营养不良对后代成年后患代谢疾病易感性的影响现已得到充分证实。目前已有多项研究表明，至少在实验动物模型中，发育程序导致的代谢综合征的某些组成部分，在发育可塑性窗口期通过营养或靶向治疗干预可能是可逆的。本综述将聚焦于关键的发育窗口期以及在早期生活环境不利的情况下可能降低代谢和致肥胖风险的治疗途径。
