The burdens of obesity and type 2 diabetes have been a major public health concern globally. The high prevalence and sequelae of these conditions have important implications on healthcare resources and delivery in many populations worldwide. Currently, efforts to reduce this burden remain a challenge. Increasing evidence from observational studies suggests exposures during early life (e.g. preconception, pregnancy, and infancy) have a role to play in the long-term cardiometabolic health. Early-life exposures are potentially modifiable and could be targeted for possible interventions to promote optimal cardiovascular and metabolic health in the long-term.
The challenge is to identify modifiable causal risk factors in early life to target preventive and intervention measures. This could be informed from 1) high-quality epidemiological evidence on the causal link between early-life exposure and later cardiometabolic health, 2) studies on the effectiveness of the interventions in early life to improve later cardiometabolic health and 3) a better understanding of the biological pathway between early-life exposure and individual susceptibility to obesity and type 2 diabetes, such pathways involved in genetic mechanisms and epigenetic processes.
This Research Topic aims to summarize recent work implicating modifiable causal factors in early life for better longer-term cardiometabolic health.
This collection will focus on original research or review articles, including:
• Epidemiological studies on the relations of early-life exposure during preconception, pregnancy and infancy with later cardiometabolic health (e.g. childhood, adolescents or adulthood).
• Studies on the effectiveness of interventions in early life (e.g. during preconception, pregnancy and infancy), including dietary, lifestyle, supplementation to promote later cardiometabolic health.
• Molecular epidemiological studies providing insights into cardiometabolic disease programming in early life.
• Methodological and analytical approaches that can identify likely causal factors and mechanisms to advance our understanding of disease etiology and biological pathways
The burdens of obesity and type 2 diabetes have been a major public health concern globally. The high prevalence and sequelae of these conditions have important implications on healthcare resources and delivery in many populations worldwide. Currently, efforts to reduce this burden remain a challenge. Increasing evidence from observational studies suggests exposures during early life (e.g. preconception, pregnancy, and infancy) have a role to play in the long-term cardiometabolic health. Early-life exposures are potentially modifiable and could be targeted for possible interventions to promote optimal cardiovascular and metabolic health in the long-term.
The challenge is to identify modifiable causal risk factors in early life to target preventive and intervention measures. This could be informed from 1) high-quality epidemiological evidence on the causal link between early-life exposure and later cardiometabolic health, 2) studies on the effectiveness of the interventions in early life to improve later cardiometabolic health and 3) a better understanding of the biological pathway between early-life exposure and individual susceptibility to obesity and type 2 diabetes, such pathways involved in genetic mechanisms and epigenetic processes.
This Research Topic aims to summarize recent work implicating modifiable causal factors in early life for better longer-term cardiometabolic health.
This collection will focus on original research or review articles, including:
• Epidemiological studies on the relations of early-life exposure during preconception, pregnancy and infancy with later cardiometabolic health (e.g. childhood, adolescents or adulthood).
• Studies on the effectiveness of interventions in early life (e.g. during preconception, pregnancy and infancy), including dietary, lifestyle, supplementation to promote later cardiometabolic health.
• Molecular epidemiological studies providing insights into cardiometabolic disease programming in early life.
• Methodological and analytical approaches that can identify likely causal factors and mechanisms to advance our understanding of disease etiology and biological pathways
