Obesity and diabetes link with early nutrition

Animals that receive poor nutrition in the womb are more likely to withstand a poor diet as they grow up. The body redistributes the nutrients to protect important organs such as the brain in preference to other organs, altering the foetus’ metabolism and hormones so the baby can better survive poor nutrition outside of the womb. But animals that then receive a normal diet after birth are more susceptible to obesity and have a reduced longevity.

The combination of poor foetal diet and diet-induced obesity in adults led to the development of the major features of the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of disorders that include high blood pressure, high insulin levels and excess body weight that may predispose people for diabetes.