Life In The Womb

"This is a very clear and stimulating overview of how sensitive the development of the fetus is to outside influence, and how this can have implications for the health of the individual, across the lifespan. Nathanielsz discusses the work of David Barker and colleagues who have shown that babies who are born smaller are more likely to die of coronary heart diseases at the end of life, than those who are born larger. Environmental effects from the womb can even be passed to the grandchild generation. He writes about the new understanding of genetics and the environment and describes how the environment that will influence the development of the person starts in the womb and how that has implications for health. It is very well-established that babies with a lower birth weight are more likely to die in their 70s of coronary heart disease and it is as big an indicator as smoking or being overweight. Maybe not, but it is interesting in terms of fetal programming and the effects of maternal stress on the long-term outcome."