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Fetal programming of stress responses

A M Ward1, D I Phillips

  • 1MRC Unit, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.

Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|March 21, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Small size at birth, linked to low birthweight, increases the risk of coronary heart disease and related conditions like hypertension and Type 2 diabetes due to fetal growth adaptations.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Epidemiology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Epidemiological studies link low birthweight to increased risks of coronary heart disease, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes.
  • This association is hypothesized to stem from fetal nutrient supply-demand imbalances during gestation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the long-term physiological adaptations resulting from intrauterine growth restriction.
  • To investigate the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathoadrenal system in mediating these risks.

Main Methods:

  • Review of epidemiological data on birth size and long-term health outcomes.
  • Analysis of experimental animal data and human observational studies on endocrine and stress response systems.

Main Results:

  • Fetal nutrient imbalances trigger adaptive metabolic and endocrine changes, benefiting short-term survival but leading to long-term maladaptation.
  • Alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathoadrenal system set points are observed in association with reduced fetal growth.

Conclusions:

  • Intrauterine factors significantly influence long-term stress response programming.
  • These programming effects may explain the increased risk of chronic diseases observed in individuals with low birthweight.

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