How growth due to infant nutrition influences obesity and later disease risk

Abstract

Infant nutrition has a major impact on immediate outcomes and long-term health and later disease risks, such as obesity and related disorders, a phenomenon referred to as 'metabolic programming'. This review discusses the currently postulated hypotheses and mechanisms investigated by the EarlyNutrition project.

Conclusion: Rapid weight gain in the first 2 years of life, most notably mediated by diary protein, affects the insulin-like growth factor metabolic pathways. Epigenetic processes seem to play a role.

Keywords: Early nutrition; Growth; Infant nutrition; Metabolic programming; Obesity.