Developmental Origins of Disease: Emerging Prenatal Risk Factors and Future Disease Risk

Overview

Journal Curr Epidemiol Rep

Specialty Public Health

Date 2019 Jan 29

PMID 30687591

Citations 13

Authors

Izzuddin M Aris

Abby F Fleisch

Emily Oken

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose Of Review: Many of the diseases and dysfunctions described in the paradigm of the developmental origins of health and disease have been studied in relation to prenatal nutrition or environmental toxicant exposures. Here, we selectively review the current research on four exposures-two nutritional and two environmental-that have recently emerged as prenatal risk factors for long-term health outcomes.

Recent Findings: Recent studies have provided strong evidence that prenatal exposure to (1) excessive intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, (2) unhealthy dietary patterns, (3) perfluoroalkyl substances, and (4) fine particulate matter, may increase risk of adverse health outcomes, such as obesity, cardiometabolic dysfunction, and allergy/asthma.

Summary: Emerging prenatal nutritional factors and environmental toxicants influence offspring long-term health. More work is needed to identify the role of paternal exposures and maternal exposures during the preconception period and to further elucidate causality through intervention studies. The ubiquity of these emerging nutritional and environmental exposures makes this area of inquiry of considerable public health importance.

Citing Articles

The Impact of Parental Preconception Nutrition, Body Weight, and Exercise Habits on Offspring Health Outcomes: A Narrative Review.

Jahan-Mihan A, Leftwich J, Berg K, Labyak C, Nodarse R, Allen S Nutrients. 2025; 16(24.

PMID: 39770898 PMC: 11678361. DOI: 10.3390/nu16244276.

Prenatal chemical exposures and the methylome: current evidence and opportunities for environmental epigenetics.

Bozack A, Trasande L Epigenomics. 2024; 16(23-24):1443-1451.

PMID: 39539208 PMC: 11622816. DOI: 10.1080/17501911.2024.2426441.

Birth outcomes in relation to neighborhood food access and individual food insecurity during pregnancy in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide cohort study.

Aris I, Lin P, Wu A, Dabelea D, Lester B, Wright R Am J Clin Nutr. 2024; 119(5):1216-1226.

PMID: 38431121 PMC: 11130689. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.02.022.

Maternal stressful life events during pregnancy and childhood asthma and wheeze.

Adgent M, Buth E, Norona-Zhou A, Szpiro A, Loftus C, Moore P Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023; 132(5):594-601.e3.

PMID: 38122928 PMC: 11069451. DOI: 10.1016/j.anai.2023.12.015.

Prenatal and childhood exposure to per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and its associations with childhood overweight and/or obesity: a systematic review with meta-analyses.

Frigerio G, Ferrari C, Fustinoni S Environ Health. 2023; 22(1):56.

PMID: 37580798 PMC: 10424367. DOI: 10.1186/s12940-023-01006-6.

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