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Epigenetic Aspects of Chronic Diseases pp 187–204Cite as

Epigenetic Mechanisms in the Developmental Origins of Adult Disease

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Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCD), including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and the metabolic syndrome, account for 60% of all deaths globally.151 In low to middle income countries, NCD are becoming particularly important as they increase rapidly in countries that undergo socioeconomic improvement. While the increase in NCD is due in part to the adoption of a Western lifestyle, there is growing recognition of the role played by developmental factors. This is in accordance with the fundamental principles of life-course biology, with developmental trajectories established in early life influencing the response to later exposures, such as adult lifestyle (Fig. 13.1). Moreover, the temporal trends in NCD may, in significant part, arise from effects on phenotype established by the interaction between genes and the developmental environment.

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Acknowledgments Research by the authors is supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation, the National Institute for Health Research Southampton Nutrition, Diet and Lifestyle Biomedical Research Unit, Wessex Medical Research, and the Gerald Kerkut Charitable Trust. The authors are not aware of any conflicts of interest that may be perceived as affecting the objectivity of this review.

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  1. MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Hampshire, UK

    Keith M. Godfrey

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  1. Keith M. Godfrey
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  2. Karen A. Lillycrop
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  3. Mark A. Hanson
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  4. Graham C. Burdge
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Correspondence to Keith M. Godfrey .

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    Helmtrud I. Roach

  2. Health Center, Dept. Pharmacology, University of Connecticut, Farmington Ave. 263, Farmington, 06030-6125, Connecticut, USA

    Felix Bronner

  3. Developmental Origins Health and Disease, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, United Kingdom

    Richard O.C. Oreffo

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Godfrey, K.M., Lillycrop, K.A., Hanson, M.A., Burdge, G.C. (2011). Epigenetic Mechanisms in the Developmental Origins of Adult Disease. In: Roach, H., Bronner, F., Oreffo, R. (eds) Epigenetic Aspects of Chronic Diseases. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-644-1_13

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