Nutritional modifications in the immediate postnatal period can cause metabolic programming in adulthood

The prevalence of adult obesity is steadily increasing in the United States and other westernized countries, and obesity and its associated complications represent one of the most daunting health challenges of the 21st century (Kopelman 2000). Childhood obesity is also increasing at an alarming rate in the United States (8% of 2-5-year olds and 17% of 6-11 year olds) (Ogden et al. 2015). Although poor dietary habits with increased calorie intake and sedentary lifestyles accompanied by reduced energy expenditure are the major contributors to the obesity epidemic, the recent emergence of this enormous rise in obesity over the past few decades suggests that there are other contributing factors in the etiology of the obesity epidemic.