Maternal and Pediatric Nutrition
Open Access
ISSN: 2472-1182
+44 1223 790975
ISSN: 2472-1182
+44 1223 790975
Short Communication - (2022)Volume 7, Issue 5
The concept of environmental cues received during foetal development has a critical role in influencing health trajectories throughout the lifespan. Epigenetic alterations that affect disease risk not only in the current generation but also in future generations. Developmental changes that raise the chance of acquiring a disease. Genetic changes that change the risk of developing a disease. For instance, even though dietary deficiencies have been remedied, grandchildren of women who were pregnant during the famine give birth to children who are smaller than typical. Nutritional changes, hormonal changes, or exposure to pollutants can all cause changes in the maternal environment [1-5].
Dietary status
The mother's nutritional status gives the developing foetus an idea of the world into which it will be born. Thus, its growth is controlled to maximize its chances of surviving. However, excessive or inadequate maternal nutrition might cause the foetus to respond in an unsuitable way during development, leading to postnatal illnesses. This may have such a significant impact on the foetus' adult life that it even outweighs lifestyle considerations.
An excessive diet: Pregnancy weight growth and body mass index are both associated with elevated blood pressure in the offspring as adults. Leptin, a prenatal hormone that is found in high concentrations in the blood of overweight or obese people, is thought by mouse models to be the cause of this. According to one idea, this hormone interferes with the fetus's regulatory mechanisms and makes it impossible for it to maintain appropriate blood pressure levels.
Insufficient dietary intake: Pre-eclampsia, which causes oxygen starvation and the death of the trophoblastic cells that make up the majority of the placenta, is a condition that is frequently linked to long-term maladaptive effects of improper foetal programming. Here, an underdeveloped and dysfunctional placenta fails to provide the foetus with the nutrients it needs throughout gestation, either by changing the nutrients it chooses to allow to enter foetal blood or by limiting the total volume of it. The adult foetus may experience cardiovascular and metabolic issues.
Hormonal impact
Pregnancy hormone balance is thought to be extremely crucial to foetal programming and may have a big impact on how the baby turns out. Due to impaired glucocorticoid transfer that occurs across the placent, placental endocrine transfer from the mother to the growing foetus may be influenced by the mother's mental state.
Thyroid: During the early stages of the fetus's brain development, thyroid hormones are crucial. As a result, mother who experience thyroid-related problems or have altered thyroid hormone levels may unintentionally cause anatomical and functional alterations in the developing foetal brain. However, maternal thyroid hormone is crucial for brain development both before and after the baby is able to synthesize the hormones while still in the uterus. The foetus is able to create its own thyroid hormones from the beginning of the second trimester. This may raise the baby's risk of developing neurological or psychological conditions later in life.
Cortisol: The hormonal pathway that has received the most attention for its potential to affect prenatal programming is cortisol, and more generally glucocorticoids. Although excessive cortisol exposure has negative effects on foetal growth, the postnatal function of physiological systems such the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and brain, cortisol has a normal developmental effect throughout prenatal development (eg, amygdala).
Stress on the mind and psychopathology: Hormones and genetics have a major role in how the mother's mental health during pregnancy impacts the foetus in the uterus. Changed outcomes for the child are correlated with the mother's mood, including prenatal anxiety, melancholy, and stress. However, not all foetuses exposed to these elements are impacted in the same way or to the same extent, and genetic and environmental factors are thought to have a sizable impact.
Depression: One of the biggest threats to an unborn child's increased sensitivity to unfavorable outcomes is maternal depression, particularly in terms of susceptibility to a number of psychological illnesses. The mechanisms that may explain the association between a mother's depression and her children's long-term health are the subject of extensive research today. The environment in the womb while the mother is sad may have an effect on the baby, and there may be a genetic component that makes the infant more vulnerable.
Prior to or during pregnancy, maternal psychological stress might have an impact on the offspring across generations. Preterm birth, low birth weight, and a higher risk of psychopathology have all been linked to stress during pregnancy. Compared to women who did not endure as much stress during their pregnancies, the new mother may have aftereffects such as postpartum depression and subsequently find parenting more challenging.
Citation: Bond R (2022) Environmental Impacts during Foetal Development. Matern Pediatr Nutr. 7:177.
Received: 04-Oct-2022, Manuscript No. MPN-22-20499; Editor assigned: 06-Oct-2022, Pre QC No. MPN-22-20499 (PQ); Reviewed: 21-Oct-2022, QC No. MPN-22-20499; Revised: 28-Oct-2022, Manuscript No. MPN-22-20499 (R); Published: 07-Nov-2022 , DOI: 10.35248/2472-1182.22.7.177
Copyright: © 2022 Bond R. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.