| The interest in ageing from pediatrics is based on the proposition that ageing begins at fertilization. The Barker hypothesis is important in this. It states that the human metabolism is already programmed in utero. An indication for this is to be found among the people who were born shortly after the hunger winter (hongerwinter) of 1944/45 in the Netherlands. Obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure occur more frequently in this group. The idea is that the level of their metabolism was set very low due to deprivation in utero. They actually require very little and this is having repercussions in this time of plenty. In order to research into the underlying processes, mice are being used that produce very light pups, or who suffer from fatty livers, or whose fetuses are exposed to high cholesterol levels. Also, research into the metabolism of babies born prematurely is being carried out. Hypothesis: in order to learn more about adult diseases, you must also know about the fetal metabolism. |
