title: Behavioral, environmental, metabolic and intergenerational components of early life undernutrition leading to later obesity in developing nations and in minority groups in the U.S.A.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Sciences, Loughborough University, UK. m.i.o.varela-silva@lboro.ac.uk
authors.forename: Maria Inês
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Varela-Silva
authors.forename: A Roberto
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Frisancho
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bogin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chatkoff
authors.forename: Patricia K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Winham
mesh_terms: D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004777:Environment; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications*; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D014171:Transients and Migrants