Abstract
It has been proposed that the developmental programming of the hypothalamopituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis is a conserved evolutionary response to a suboptimal early environment which originates in the embryo, fetus or neonate and which persists into postnatal life in anticipation of a life of adversity (Worthman and Kuzara, 2005). Such a programmed response may result in an increased stress responsiveness and hypercortisolism in postnatal life and may in turn exacerbate the metabolic and cardiovascular sequelae of a poor early environment which include central obesity, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and hypertension (Barker and Osmond, 1986, Barker et al., 1989, McMillen and Robinson, 2005, Phillips, 2007).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Stress and Developmental Programming of Health and Disease |
| Subtitle of host publication | Beyond Phenomenology |
| Publisher | Nova Science Publisher, Inc |
| Pages | 87-130 |
| Number of pages | 44 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781634633703 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781633218369 |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2014 |