Effects of perinatal overfeeding on mechanisms controlling food intake and body weight homeostasis

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in most developed countries has markedly increased during the last several decades. In addition to genetic, hormonal and metabolic influences, epigenetic environmental factors, such as fetal and neonatal nutrition, play a key role in the development of obesity. Interestingly, becoming overweight during critical developmental periods of fetal and/or neonatal life has been shown to continue throughout juvenile life into adulthood. In spite of this evidence, the specific biological mechanisms underlying this fetal/neonatal programming are not perfectly understood. However, it is clear that circulating hormones, such as insulin, leptin and ghrelin, play a critical role in the development and programming of hypothalamic circuits regulating food intake and bodyweight homeostasis.

Keywords::

• food intake
• ghrelin
• hypothalamus
• insulin
• leptin
• leptin resistance
• overfeeding
• programming
• synaptic plasticity
• thrifty phenotype

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Sarah Gray (University of Cambridge) for her comments and criticisms. This work has been supported by grants from Instituto Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Health, Xunta de Galicia, DGICYT (BFU 2005–06287) and the European Union (LSHM-CT-2003–503041).