Fetal programming is a way to prevent diseases in adulthood (literature review)

Abstract

The article presents the literary review of domestic and foreign sources on fetal programming. Intrauterine programming is the in utero phenomenon that determines the subsequent susceptibility of the body to chronic and acute diseases, which is laid down at the cellular and molecular levels. Currently, this direction is promising and relevant due to the decrease in fertility rates in many countries, the emergence of a large number of low birth weight children and the postponement of childbearing by women to a later age. The article discloses the influence of excess and underweight at birth on the frequency and structure of diseases in adulthood, as well as the key links in the formation of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, osteoporosis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, which are based on various disorders of intrauterine development. The reasons for these disorders are changes in the synthesis of fetal and placental hormones, which regulate metabolism (with a deficit in body weight - the catabolic orientation of metabolism), redistribute blood flow and control growth. The main factors influencing the programming of diseases in the fetus are: nutritional status of the mother, the functioning of the feto-placental system, stress, bad habits, the state of the endocrine and immune systems. Particular attention is paid to the intrauterine effect of hormones such as insulin, cortisol, growth hormone and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. The present-day data on the role of essential amino acids, vitamins and microelements in the development of diseases in adulthood are presented. The negative influence of both insufficient and excess vitamins on the intrauterine development of the fetus is shown, and the optimal terms for correcting their balance are indicated.

Keywords

• pregnancy
• pregravid preparation
• fetal programming
• metabolic syndrome
• arterial hypertension
• diabetes mellitus