Blackwell Publishing Asia Invited Review Developmental origins of disease The developmental origins of adult disease (Barker) hypothesis

Many studies have provided evidence for the hypothesis that size at birth is related to the risk of developing disease in later life. In particular, links are well established between reduced birthweight and increased risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and stroke in adulthood. These relationships are modified by patterns of postnatal growth. The most widely accepted mechanisms thought to underlie these relationships are those of fetal program-ming by nutritional stimuli or excess fetal glucocorticoid exposure. It is suggested that the fetus makes physiological adaptations in response to changes in its environment to prepare itself for postnatal life. These changes may include epigenetic modification of gene expression. Less clear at this time are the relevance of fetal programming phenomena to twins and preterm babies, and whether any of these effects can be reversed after birth. Much current active research in this field will be of direct relevance to future obstetric practice. Key words: coronary heart disease, developmental origins of adult disease, diabetes, hypertension, programming. The developmental origins of adult disease The ‘developmental origins of adult disease ’ hypothesis, often called the ‘Barker hypothesis ’ after one of its leading proponents, states that adverse influences early in develop