TY - JOUR
T1 - Invited Commentary: A Matter of Survival-The Detrimental Consequences of Adverse Early-Life Conditions
AU - de Rooij, Susanne R.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Studies across different species have shown that moderate dietary restriction is associated with a longer life span. Surprisingly, however, when diet is restricted in prenatal life, the effect is completely the opposite. Animal studies and human epidemiologic data have shown that undernutrition in utero negatively affects health in later life and reduces life span considerably. In this issue of the Journal, Schoeps et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(10):2085-2092) provide new evidence that variations in nutritional conditions during pregnancy relate to the future health of the unborn child. In a detailed analysis of data from Muslim and non-Muslim pregnant women in Burkina Faso, they showed that the occurrence of Ramadan in early life was strongly associated with mortality rates among children under 5 years of age. Mortality rates were highest when Ramadan had occurred in the preconception period or during the first trimester. That nutritional conditions in early life can have such profound consequences for child mortality is both astonishing and extremely relevant from a public health perspective.
AB - Studies across different species have shown that moderate dietary restriction is associated with a longer life span. Surprisingly, however, when diet is restricted in prenatal life, the effect is completely the opposite. Animal studies and human epidemiologic data have shown that undernutrition in utero negatively affects health in later life and reduces life span considerably. In this issue of the Journal, Schoeps et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2018;187(10):2085-2092) provide new evidence that variations in nutritional conditions during pregnancy relate to the future health of the unborn child. In a detailed analysis of data from Muslim and non-Muslim pregnant women in Burkina Faso, they showed that the occurrence of Ramadan in early life was strongly associated with mortality rates among children under 5 years of age. Mortality rates were highest when Ramadan had occurred in the preconception period or during the first trimester. That nutritional conditions in early life can have such profound consequences for child mortality is both astonishing and extremely relevant from a public health perspective.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85054258674&origin=inward
UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29741567
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwy088
DO - https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwy088
M3 - Article
C2 - 29741567
SN - 0002-9262
VL - 187
SP - 2093
EP - 2094
JO - American journal of epidemiology
JF - American journal of epidemiology
IS - 10
ER -