BMJ 2001;322:375-376 ( 17 February )

Editorials

The fetal origins of adult disease

No longer just a hypothesis and may be critically important in south Asia

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

David Barker pioneered the idea that the 20th century epidemic of coronary heart disease in Western countries might have originated in fetal life.1 Paradoxically, the epidemic coincided with improved standards of living and nutrition, yet in Britain its greatest impact was in the most deprived areas. Barker observed that early in the 20th century these areas had the highest rates of neonatal mortality and by inference the highest rates of low birth weight. He postulated that impaired fetal growth might have predisposed the survivors to heart disease in later life. The first world congress on the fetal origins of adult disease in Mumbai earlier this month provided an opportunity to assess the state of the hypothesis and consider its implications for future research and policy.

Barker's group originally examined cardiovascular mortality in men born in Hertfordshire, England, in the early decades of the century, on whom good records had been . . . [Full text of this article]
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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Making a case for nutrition
Simon Langley-Evans
bmj.com, 16 Feb 2001 [Full text]
Omissions in Fetal origins of adult disease.
Mario Lopez-Llera
bmj.com, 20 Feb 2001 [Full text]
chronic infection also plays a part.
Pranranjan Prasad
bmj.com, 20 Feb 2001 [Full text]
Interventions To Be Done
Somashekhar Nimbalkar
bmj.com, 20 Feb 2001 [Full text]
Re: Omissions in Fetal origins of adult disease.
Simon Langley-Evans
bmj.com, 21 Feb 2001 [Full text]
Re: Re: Omissions in Fetal origins of adult disease.
Mario Lopez-Llera
bmj.com, 24 Feb 2001 [Full text]
Maternal smoking and Fetal Origins
Susan Sayers, et al.
bmj.com, 27 Feb 2001 [Full text]
Have the confounding effects of class been completely eliminated?
David Legge
bmj.com, 3 Mar 2001 [Full text]
too early to accept Barkers hypothesis
Pranranjan Prasad, et al.
bmj.com, 3 Mar 2001 [Full text]
Can breast feeding prevent fetal origins of adult diseases?
Undurti N Das
bmj.com, 13 Mar 2001 [Full text]
Geographical factors must be considered in applying Barker's theory
Zhikun Zhang
bmj.com, 22 Apr 2002 [Full text]
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