Journal of developmental origins of health and disease
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J Dev Orig Health Dis · Apr 2020
Why achieving gender equality is of fundamental importance to improve the health and well-being of future generations: a DOHaD perspective.
Despite progress in gender equality, women continue to be disadvantaged compared with men. Worldwide, women are more often confronted with poverty, violence, and mental health problems, and they have less access to food and education. All these factors do not only affect women themselves, but also have a negative impact on the child's early environment and impair its early development, thereby reducing the health and well-being of future generations. ⋯ If we want DOHaD science to have societal impact, we should strive beyond gender equality for gender equity and help women achieve equal rights and opportunities. We need to work with public health professionals, human rights activists, and policymakers to gauge the importance of gender equality. After all, gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also a necessary foundation for healthier future generations.
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J Dev Orig Health Dis · Feb 2019
Intergenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences via maternal depression and anxiety and moderation by child sex.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of parents are associated with a variety of negative health outcomes in offspring. Little is known about the mechanisms by which ACEs are transmitted to the next generation. Given that maternal depression and anxiety are related to ACEs and negatively affect children's behaviour, these exposures may be pathways between maternal ACEs and child psychopathology. ⋯ Sex differences were observed, with boys demonstrating greater vulnerability to the indirect effects of maternal ACEs via both anxiety and depression. Findings suggest that maternal mental health may be a mechanism by which maternal early life adversity is transmitted to children, especially boys. Further research is needed to determine if targeted interventions with women who have both high ACEs and mental health problems can prevent or ameliorate the effects of ACEs on children's behavioural psychopathology.
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J Dev Orig Health Dis · Aug 2018
Adipose tissue uncoupling protein 1 levels and function are increased in a mouse model of developmental obesity induced by maternal exposure to high-fat diet.
With brown adipose tissue (BAT) becoming a possible therapeutic target to counteract obesity, the prenatal environment could represent a critical window to modify BAT function and browning of white AT. We investigated if levels of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and UCP1-mediated thermogenesis are altered in offspring exposed to prenatal obesity. Female CD-1 mice were fed a high-fat (HF) or standard-fat (SF) diet for 3 months before breeding. ⋯ In VAT, UCP1 protein levels and UCP1-dependent respiration were significantly lower only in HF females (P=0.03, P=0.04, respectively). There were no differences in total respiration in SAT and VAT. Prenatal exposure to maternal obesity leads to significant increases in UCP1 levels and function in BAT in offspring with little impact on UCP1 levels and function in SAT and VAT.
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J Dev Orig Health Dis · Jun 2018
Offspring birth weight and cardiovascular mortality among parents: the role of cardiovascular risk factors.
An inverse association between offspring birth weight (BW) and higher risk of parental cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and morbidity has been reported. Shared environmental, genetic and intrauterine factors may be responsible for explaining these associations. We studied the role of parental CVD risk factors in the association between offspring BW and CVD mortality among mothers and fathers. ⋯ Triglycerides and diabetes both reduced the risk to 1.15 (1.09-1.12). Our results indicate that shared environmental factors might be important in the association. A stronger association in mothers suggest that intrauterine factors also are at play.
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J Dev Orig Health Dis · Feb 2018
The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease and Sustainable Development Goals: mapping the way forward.
In this paper, meant to stimulate debate, we argue that there is considerable benefit in approaching together the implementation of two seemingly separate recent developments. First, on the global development agenda, we have the United Nations General Assembly's 2015 finalized list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Several of the SDGs are related to health. ⋯ We argue that implementing the SDGs and DOHaD together will be beneficial in several ways; and will require attending to multiple, complex and multidisciplinary approaches as we reach the point of translating science to policy to impact. Here, we begin by providing the context for our work and making the case for a mutually reinforcing, synergistic approach to implementing SDGs and DOHaD, particularly in Africa. To do this, we initiate discussion via an early mapping of some of the overlapping considerations between SDGs and DOHaD.