Some of the Mechanisms by Which Nutrition and Sociotypic Influences Affect Development in Health and Disease Throughout the Life Cycle.
Some of the Mechanisms by Which Nutrition and Sociotypic Influences Affect Development in Health and Disease Throughout the Life Cycle.
| Development Period | Influences | Mechanisms / Determinants / Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-pregnancy | Neural tube defects | Folic acid58 |
|
| ||
| Pregnancy | Intra-uterine environment | Metabolic programming,59,60 epigenetics,61 stress telomere length62 |
|
| ||
| Neonate | Bonding | Breast feeding,29 microbiome63 |
|
| ||
| Childhood | Growth, development | Redox homeostasis64,65; balanced nutrition; food quality, quantity, and safety; lifestyle66 |
|
| ||
| Adolescence | Menarche, fertility, food, mood | Body fat67; food emotion68; neurotransmitter synthesis dependent on essential amino and fatty acids, vitamins69 |
| Social interactions | Oxytocin70 | |
| Eating disorders | Epigenetics71 | |
| Body image | Cultural norms, social media | |
|
| ||
| Adulthood | Mate selection | Pheromones*,72 cultural taboos such as Kibbutz intermarriage “taboos”,73 synchronization of menstrual cycles,74 handicap principle75 |
| NCDs: Obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer | Stress—allostasis,70,76 circadian rhythms,77 cultural norms and lifestyle, microbiome,63 diet–gene–enzyme interactions,78 diet heart,79 epigenetics,80 immune function9 | |
|
| ||
| Old age | Longevity | Caloric restriction*81 |