Hartley Zhou (zephyrpan52)

Developmental programming alters life-course multi-organ function and significantly affects life-course health. Recently, interest has developed in how programming may influence the rate of aging. This review describes interactions of nutrition and programming-aging interactions in hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) development and function from fetal development to old age. A full picture of these interactions requires data on levels of HPA activity relating to the hypothalamic, adrenal cortical, circulating blood, and peripheral cortisol metabolism. Data are provided from studies on our baboon, nonhuman primate model both across the normal life course and in offspring of maternal baboons who were moderately undernourished by a global 30% diet reduction during pregnancy and lactation. Sex differences in offspring outcomes in response to similar challenges are described. The data clearly show programming of increased HPA axis activity by moderate maternal undernutrition. Increased postnatal circulating cortisol concentrations are related to accelerated aging of the brain and cardiovascular systems. Future studies should address peripheral cortisol production and the influence of aging advantage in females. These data support the view that the HPA is an orchestrator of interactions of programming-aging mechanisms.In the United States and Mexico, the obesity epidemic represents a significant public health problem. Although obesity is often attributed to a Western-style, high-fat diet and decreased activity, there is now compelling evidence that this, in part, occurs because of the developmental programming effects resulting from exposure to maternal overnutrition. Human and animal studies demonstrate that maternal obesity and high-fat diet result in an increased risk for childhood and adult obesity. The potential programming effects of obesity have been partly attributed to hyperphagia, which occurs as a result of increased appetite with reduced satiety neuropeptides or neurons. However, depending on maternal nutritional status during the nursing period, the programmed hyperphagia and obesity can be exacerbated or prevented in offspring born to obese mothers. The underlying mechanism of this phenomenon likely involves the plasticity of the appetite regulatory center and thus presents an opportunity to modulate feeding and satiety regulation and break the obesity cycle.The complementary feeding period, when solids and liquids other than breast milk and formula are added to the infant diet, is an important development window shaping infant growth and weight gain, metabolic development, and lifelong eating practices. Yet, relatively little is known about how the timing and types of foods offered to infants at this stage may shape their growth and subsequent risk of developing obesity. This narrative review describes the existing literature on complementary feeding practices, discusses potential biological and behavioral pathways linking complementary feeding practices to the development of obesity, and offers potential avenues for intervention. While further research is needed to more fully understand optimal complementary feeding practices, existing evidence supports the importance of healthful early feeding practices in the physiological and behavioral regulation of growth and metabolism and the need for early intervention to prevent the development of obesity.This paper examines the implications of intracultural difference for the design and implementation of nutrition interventions. It raises the question of whether small-sample, mixed-method implementation research, using a focused ethnographic approach, has sufficient power to detect meaningful differences in cultural beliefs, values, perceptions, and attitudes that are important for the design and implementation of nutrition interventions. It first presents the theoretical framework that was used to guide the research, followed by a description of the methodology of the F