First 1000 days from conception ‘can program future health issues’

A MAJOR medical conference in Adelaide will discuss growing evidence of how the first 1000 days from conception can program a person’s future health.

IN HER HANDS: Dr Beverly Muhlhausler chooses healthy options for her young son Andrew. Picture: Calum Robertson

THE first 1000 days from conception can effectively program a baby’s health for the rest of their life in a vital balance of nature and nurture that parents can manage, researchers say.

They also say newly pregnant women worried that they aren’t healthy enough for their child’s sake have time to change, but they’ll have to get cracking.

The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Conference at the Adelaide Convention Centre today will examine how parents’ lifestyles, both during pregnancy and in the first months of life, can influence a child’s future health, including risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, allergies and mental health issues.

University of Adelaide research fellow Dr Beverly Muhlhausler, who will be among researchers from around the world at the conference, said manageable non-genetic factors can influence susceptibility to disease in later life.

These include both paternal and maternal weight and diet at conception, maternal diet and weight gain during pregnancy and what the baby is fed.

“Nutritional interventions applied during key phases of development have potential to improve the health of the child throughout their life,’’ she said.

She stressed the importance of healthy lifestyles for both parents before conception if planning a family, as behaviour such as smoking and drinking can affect the sperm and egg, but also said that newly pregnant women worried they aren’t healthy enough do have time to do something about it.

“A lot of women fall pregnant without planning it and if they then modify their lifestyles while pregnant, improve their diet and exercise, it can be very beneficial for their baby,” she said.

But it’s not as simple as “eating for two”.

“Evidence suggests that when it comes to nutrition during pregnancy, getting too much can be as bad as getting too little,” Dr Muhlhausler said.

This can mean a diet high in saturated fats and sugar can precondition a child to prefer such foods and “supercharge” their fat cells, while eating too little can program babies to overeat “because hunger set-points have been altered during development”.

Originally published as First 1000 days from conception ‘can program future health issues’