Case report
Behavioral, Environmental, Metabolic and Intergenerational Components of Early Life Undernutrition Leading to Later Obesity in Developing Nations and in Minority Groups in the USA
Maria Inês Varela-Silva
A. Roberto Frisancho
Barry Bogin
David Chatkoff
Patricia K. Smith
Federico Dickinson
Donna Winham
Abstract
Nutritional transition, urbanization, and physical inactivity are primary factors responsible for the worldwide epidemic
of overweight/obesity (OW/OB). However, these factors fail to explain the epidemic of OW/OB in developing countries
and in recent-migrants to developed countries. Among these, OW/OB is associated with short/stunted stature and
coexists with undernutrition at much higher rates than is statistically expected. Changes in metabolic pathways toward
reduced fat oxidation and increased metabolism of carbohydrate may explain, in part, this phenomenon. Also, intergenerational
consequences of malnutrition and poor health of the mothers may lead to impaired phenotypes in their offspring.
We propose a novel methodology to assess the history of early life malnutrition by assessing the sitting height ratio
of the mothers. The degree of »short leggedness« reflects undernutrition when the mother was an infant/child. Collectively,
behavioral, environmental, metabolic and intergenerational components of early life undernutrition may provide
a more satisfactory explanation for later life obesity.
Keywords
undernutrition; overweight; obesity; metabolism; intergenerational effects
Hrčak ID:
27330
URI
Publication date:
4.1.2007.
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