title: The fetal programming of food preferences: current clinical and experimental evidence.
abstract: Increased energy consumption is one of the major factors implicated in the epidemic of obesity. There is compelling evidence, both clinical and experimental, that fetal paucity of nutrients may have programming effects on feeding preferences and behaviors that can contribute to the development of diseases. Clinical studies in different age groups show that individuals born small for their gestational age (SGA) have preferences towards highly caloric foods such as carbohydrates and fats. Some studies have also shown altered eating behaviors in SGA children. Despite an apparent discrepancy in different age groups, all studies seem to converge to an increased intake of palatable foods in SGA individuals. Small nutrient imbalances across lifespan increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases in adult life. Homeostatic factors such as altered responses to leptin and insulin and alterations in neuropeptides associated with appetite and satiety are likely involved. Imbalances between homeostatic and hedonic signaling are another proposed mechanism, with the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic pathway having differential reward and pleasure responses when facing palatable foods. Early exposure to undernutrition also programs hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, with SGA having higher levels of cortisol in different ages, leading to chronic hyperactivity of this neuroendocrine axis. This review summarizes the clinical and experimental evidence related to fetal programming of feeding preferences by SGA.
authors.affiliation: 1Departamento de Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina,Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,Porto Alegre,Brazil.
authors.forename: R
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3146-2625
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dalle Molle
authors.affiliation: 2Programa de Residência Médica em Pediatria,Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre,Porto Alegre,Brazil.
authors.forename: A R
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9218-1301
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bischoff
authors.affiliation: 3Departamento de Pediatria da Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre,Porto Alegre,Brazil.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Portella
authors.affiliation: 1Departamento de Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina,Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul,Porto Alegre,Brazil.
authors.forename: P P
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8626-2519
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Silveira
keywords: IUGR; feeding behavior; fetal programming; food preferences