Metabolic Programming: Origin of Non-Communicable Diseases in Early Life Nutrition

Metabolic programming (MP) is defined the induction, deletion, or impaired development of a somatic structure or “setting” of a physiological system by an early life stimulus. Epidemiological and animal studies support the theory that suboptimal intrauterine conditions are associated with non-communicable disease (NCD) in adulthood. Using ovine models, we investigated the long-term consequences of late gestation undernutrition on glucose–insulin axis function and energy metabolism. We found that early life undernutrition had life-lasting consequences on insulin-secretory and adipose lipolytic capacity as well as intermediary metabolism later in life. Furthermore, we showed that suboptimal intrauterine nutrition impairs energy expenditure (EE) in gestation, apparently via an increase in the energy cost of conceptus development. Our findings, and those of other studies, support the hypothesis that energy balance is, to a certain extent, programmed early in life, presumably through appetite, EE, physical activity, and/or disproportional postnatal growth programming.