Could epigenetics play a role in the developmental origins of health and disease?
Cutfield WS; Hofman PL; Mitchell M; Morison IM Liggins Institute, National Research Centre for Growth and Development, University of Auckland, Department of Pediatrics, New Zealand. w.cutfield@auckland.ac.nz Following Barker’s observations of an association between birth size and later adult diseases, considerable efforts have been made to define the characteristics of low birth weight groups in childhood. In this review, the phenotypic and biochemical characteristics during childhood of three low birth weight groups are summarized: children born following inviter fertilization (IVF), small for gestational age (SGA), or very premature. Each of these groups is likely to have been exposed to an adverse environment at different developmental stages. The triggers and mechanisms leading to programmed changes in growth, development, and metabolism of these groups of children have yet to be identified. Epigenetics has been proposed as a potential mechanism for these programmed changes through
