Purpose of review Fetal programming is now an accepted reality. Evidence has been produced by epidemiological and experimental data. Recent findings Recent publications confirm the role of prenatal life as an origin of diseases in adulthood. Factors influencing fetal growth, including premature birth which is known to have long-term consequences, are of recent interest. In animal research, information is given to differentiate between influence of prenatal and postnatal life. Summary A model for gestational diabetes mellitus is presented. This model may further investigate how an abnormal intrauterine life may later influence postnatal life. The present literature confirms research from 1979 on the importance of an abnormal intrauterine environment.
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Jackson et al. (2005) studied this question.
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