Main description:

This volume offers the most comprehensive coverage on fetal programming. Chapters are written by authors of international and national standing, leaders in the field and trendsetters. The clinical relevance of the current research is emphasized in each chapter, which also contains key points, key words, and concise summaries for ease of learning. Fetal programming affects conditions in the immediate postnatal period, as well as in later life and adulthood. These conditions include cardiovascular disease, frank hypertension, stroke, dyslipidemia, coagulopathy, increased insulin resistance-metabolic syndrome, type-2 diabetes, leukemia, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, precocious puberty, impaired immune function, renal disease, lung disease, and osteoporosis. Neuropathologies, behavioral and mental deficiencies, schizophrenia, and depression have also been reported in adults who were exposed to nutritional inadequacies in utero. Diet, Nutrition and Fetal Programming provides an overview on the effects of fetal programming on disease, and comprehensive looks at maternal nutrition factors and fetal programming effects on brain and behavior, and physiology and disease. It also provides an in depth look at specific nutrient restrictions and supplements on physiology and disease, the effects of maternal disease on fetal programming, mechanisms of programming, and a special section on the international aspects and policies on fetal programming.

Contents:

Part I: Maternal Diet, Health and the Fetus: General Considerations.- Prenatal Maternal Stress in the Context: Maternal Stress Physiology, Immunology, Neuroendocrinology, Nutrition and Infant Development.- The Effects of Parental Diet on Fetal Programming of Stress-Related Brain Regions and Behaviors: Implications for Development of Neuropsychiatric Disorders.- Maternal Nutrition and Cognition.- Maternal Characteristics predisposing to Fetal Growth Restriction.- Maternal Insulin Sensitivity and Fetal Brain Activity.- Part II: Maternal Undernutrition and Protein Restriction: Effects on Fetus.- Dietary Restriction and the Endocrine Profiles in Offspring and Adults.- Maternal Undernutrition and Visceral Adiposity.- Maternal Undernutrition and Long-term Effects on Hepatic Function.- Maternal Protein Restriction and its Effects on Heart.- Effects of Maternal Protein Restriction on Nephrogenesis and Adult and Aging Kidney.- Maternal Protein Restriction and Effects on Behavior and Memory in Offspring.- Part III: Effects of Obesity, High Fat Diet and Junk Food on Fetal Outcomes.- Trends in Obesity and Implications for the Fetus.- Maternal Obesity and Implications for Fetal Programming.- Ethnicity, Obesity, and Pregnancy Outcomes on Fetal Programming.- Obesogenic Programming of Foetal Hepatic Metabolism by MircoRNAs.- Impacts of Maternal High Fat Diet on Stree-related Behavior and the Endocrine Response to Stress in Offspring.- Materna; Junk Food Diets: The Effects on Offspring Fat Mass and Food Preferences.- Part IV: Specific Dietary Components.- Maternal Fish Intake During Pregnancy and Effects on the Offspring.- Maternal Fish Oil Intake and Insulin Resistance in the Offspring.- Maternal n-3 Fatty Acids and Blood Pressure in Children.- Maternal Folate, Methyl Donors, One Carbon Metabolism, Vitamin B12 and Choline in Fetal Programming.- Maternal Taurine Supplementation Prevents Misprogramming.- Fetal Programming: Maternal Diets, Tryptophan and Postnatal Development.- Intrauterine Programming and Effects of Caffeine.- Part V: International Aspects and Policies.- Famines, Pregnancy and Effect on the Adults.- Maternal Malnutrition, Fetal Programming, Outcomes and Strategies in India.- Maternal Nutritional Factors Dictating Birth Weights: African Perspectives.- Maternal Nutrition in Ireland: Issues of Public Concern.- Maternal Malnutrition, Fetal Programming, Outcomes, and Implications of Environmental Factors in Japan.- Part VI: Effects of Fetal Programming in Childhood and Adulthood.- Growth Criteria and Predictors of Fetal Programming.- Effects of Fetal Programming on Metabolic Syndrome.- Fetal Programming of Food Preferences and Feeding Behavior.- Effects of Fetal Programming on Osteoporosis.- Childhood Sleep after Fetal Growth Restriction.- Part VII: Mechanisms of Programming.- Biomarkers of Abnormal Birth Weight in Pregnancy.- Mechanisms of Programming: Pancreatic Islets and Fetal Programming.- Pancratic GABA and Serotonin Actions in the Pancreas and Fetal Programming of Metabolism.- Maternal Malnutrition, Glucocorticoids and Fetal Programming: A Role for Placental 11 -hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase Type 2.- High-fat Diet and Fetal Programming: Use of p66Shc Knockouts and Implications for Human Kind.- Fetal Programming of Telomere Biology: Role of Maternal Nutrition, Obstetric Risk Factors and Suboptimal Birth Outcomes. Part VIII: Resources.- Current Research and Recommended Resources on Fetal Nutrition.