The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease -- The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease -- Should we intervene to improve fetal growth? -- Developmental Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity in Humans -- Growth and development of human twins -- Studies of Twins -- Practice-induced plasticity in the human motor cortex -- Prenatal Programming of Human Motor Function -- Adaptive Responses of Early Embryos to Their Microenvironment and Consequences for Post-Implantation Development -- Adaptive Responses of Early Embryos to Their Microenvironment and Consequences for Post-Implantation Development -- Modification of Epigenetic State through Dietary Manipulation in the Developing Mammalian Embryo -- Modification of Epigenetic State through Dietary Manipulation in the Developing Mammalian Embryo -- Overview of epigenetic mechanisms -- Critical Experiments to Determine if Early Nutritional Influences on Epigenetic Mechanisms Cause Metabolic Imprinting in Humans -- Nutritional programming and the development of hypertension -- Manipulation of the Maternal Diet in Rat Pregnancy -- Hypertension in pregnant women -- Programming Hypertension—Animal Models -- Developmental Programming of Cardiovascular Dysfunction -- Developmental Programming of Cardiovascular Dysfunction -- Kidney Development and Fetal Programming -- Kidney Development and Fetal Programming -- Programming of Obesity—Experimental Evidence -- Programming of Obesity—Experimental Evidence -- Placental delivery of amino acids. Utilization and production vs. transport -- Perinatal Programming of Adult Metabolic Homeostasis -- Programming Effects of Excess Glucocorticoid Exposure in Late Gestation -- Programming Effects of Excess Glucocorticoid Exposure in Late Gestation -- Emerging Frontiers -- Programming Effects of Moderate and Binge Alcohol Consumption -- Vitamin D in Pregnancy and Offspring Health -- The Fetal Origins of Adult Mental Illness -- Hypoxia, Fetal Growth and Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.

Early Life Origins of Health and Disease is a new book which presents and discusses the many factors that may have impact on normal development. In a concise and readable manner, the authors consider both the proven and suggestive evidence that the high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, obesity and, in some populations, kidney disease, may not be all due to genetics or adult environment alone. There is good evidence that stress and more subtle dietary deficiencies, as well as placental malfunction, may increase the risk that the offspring will develop these problems in later life. Finally, new and emerging evidence for other areas of human health and disease such a motor control and mental health is critically reviewed for the first time. The book is a ‘must’ for all scientists interested in researching these areas, as there is a critical evaluation of the methodology used and suggestions for the ‘optimal’ way in which to investigate these phenomena.