Roseboom T.J.: Early Development and Health

A person’s experience as a fetus affects his or her health throughout life. During the past twenty years we have studied the effects of undernutrition during gestation in a group of people born around the time of the Dutch famine. This provided the first direct evidence in humans that undernutrition during gestation increases the risk of many diseases that plague our society, such as heart disease, diabetes, airways disease, obesity, renal disease and cancer. By studying the differential effects of exposure during various stages of prenatal development, we have been able to pinpoint the first trimester as an especially vulnerable period of development for subsequent disease. Therefore research now focusses on long-term consequences of environmental changes in this period, such as those occurring in hyperemesis gravidarum (severe morning sickness) and assisted reproduction techniques as well as interventions before and during pregnancy on child growth, development and health.The ultimate aim it to learn more about how to give every child a good start in life to improve the health and wellbeing of future generations.

Theme: Public Health