Maternal Selenium and Developmental Programming

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element of fundamental importance to health due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemopreventive properties, attributed to its presence within at least 25 selenoproteins (Sel). In this review, we describe some of the recent progress, in our understanding, on the impact of maternal Se intake during the periconceptional period on offspring development and health. Maternal nutrition affects the performance and health of the progeny, and both maternal and offspring Se supplementations are essential for the optimal health and antioxidant protection of the offspring. The case of Se in epigenetic programming and early life nutrition is also discussed.

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The Impact of Milk and Its Components on Epigenetic Programming of Immune Function in Early Life and Beyond: Implications for Allergy and Asthma

Frontiers in Immunology ◽

10.3389/fimmu.2020.02141 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Betty C. A. M. van Esch ◽

Mojtaba Porbahaie ◽

Suzanne Abbring ◽

Johan Garssen ◽

Daniel P. Potaczek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Function ◽

Early Life ◽

Epigenetic Programming ◽

The Impact ◽

Allergy And Asthma

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Early Life Nutrition

Science Progress ◽

10.3184/003685018x15360040523721 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 101 (4) ◽

pp. 332-359 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Susan Finn ◽

Eamonn P. Culligan ◽

William J. Snelling ◽

Roy D. Sleator

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Early Life ◽

Infant Nutrition ◽

Functional Performance ◽

Later Life ◽

Sole Source ◽

Protective Effects ◽

Optimal Health ◽

Feeding Methods ◽

The Impact

Nutritionally, the first 1,000 days of an infant's life – from conception to two years – has been identified as a highly influential period, during which lasting health can be achieved. Significant evidence links patterns of infant feeding to both short and long-term health outcomes, many of which can be prevented through nutritional modifications. Recommended globally, breastfeeding is recognised as the gold standard of infant nutrition; providing key nutrients to achieve optimal health, growth and development, and conferring immunologic protective effects against disease. Nevertheless, infant formulas are often the sole source of nutrition for many infants during the first stage of life. Producers of infant formula strive to supply high quality, healthy, safe alternatives to breast milk with a comparable balance of nutrients to human milk imitating its composition and functional performance measures. The concept of ‘nutritional programming’, and the theory that exposure to specific conditions, can predispose an individual's health status in later life has become an accepted dictum, and has sparked important nutritional research prospects. This review explores the impact of early life nutrition, specifically, how different feeding methods affect health outcomes.

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The Impact of Maternal Overweight on Hair Essential Trace Element and Mineral Content in Pregnant Women and Their Children

Biological Trace Element Research ◽

10.1007/s12011-019-01693-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 193 (1) ◽

pp. 64-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Anatoly V. Skalny ◽

Alexey A. Tinkov ◽

Tatiana G. Bohan ◽

Marina B. Shabalovskaya ◽

Olga Terekhina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Trace Element ◽

Mineral Content ◽

Essential Trace Element ◽

Maternal Overweight ◽

The Impact

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154 UNDERNUTRITION DURING THE PERICONCEPTIONAL PERIOD IN EWES AFFECTS THE BLOOD PRESSURE AND WEIGHT OF THEIR NEONATAL LAMBS

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rdv19n1ab154 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 194

Author(s):

N. A. Smith ◽

P. Lonergan ◽

P. Duffy ◽

T. F. Crosby ◽

P. Quinn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Maternal Nutrition ◽

Experimental Studies ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Maternal Undernutrition ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Periconceptional Period ◽

Offspring Health ◽

The Impact

Evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies has shown that maternal undernutrition during pregnancy can alter fetal growth and development and is associated with increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in the offspring. However, there is a paucity of data examining the effect of undernutrition during the periconceptual period on offspring health. Therefore, we investigated the impact of ewe undernutrition during the periconceptional period on lamb birth weight and blood pressure. Crossbred ewes (n = 166) were individually penned and randomly allocated to 1 of 2 treatments and fed either 0.7 (restricted) or 1.1 (control) maintenance energy requirements from 28 days prior until 7 days post-mating. After Day 7, ewes in both treatments were managed similarly until parturition. Following parturition, lamb gender, birth weight, and blood pressure were recorded. Lamb weight and blood pressure were subsequently measured at 4 and 10 weeks of age. Restricted ewes lost 2.6 � 0.2 kg over the treatment period compared with control ewes which gained 1.7 � 0.58 kg (P < 0.01). There was no treatment effect on lamb birth weight in either singleton or twin gestations. However, at 4 and 10 weeks of age singleton lambs born to nutritionally restricted ewes were heavier than those born to control ewes (males, n = 17: 19.4 � 0.1 vs. 16.4 � 0.1 kg; females, n = 16: 34.9 � 1.0 vs. 30.9 � 1.6 kg, P < 0.05). Blood pressure, measured within the first 24 h of life, was higher (P < 0.05) in singleton lambs born to nutritionally restricted mothers compared to controls (males: systolic 126 � 11 vs. 94 � 5; diastolic 99 � 12 vs. 58 � 5; mean 112 � 11 vs. 77 � 5 mmHg; P < 0.05; females: systolic 126 � 11 vs. 94 � 5; diastolic 99 � 12 vs. 58 � 5; mean 112 � 11 vs. 77 � 5 mmHg; P < 0.05). This difference was no longer apparent at 4 or 10 weeks of age. Mean blood pressures of twin lambs at birth and 4 weeks of age were numerically greater in the restricted than in the control treatment but were significantly different only among male twin groups at 4 weeks of age (diastolic 77 � 4 vs. 94 � 4; mean 96 � 4 vs. 110 � 3 mmHg; P < 0.01). Maternal undernutrition during the periconceptional period was associated with increased offspring weight at 4 and 10 weeks of age in singletons, as well as alterations in offspring cardiovascular function in both singletons and twins. These findings suggest that maternal nutrition at the time of conception influences offspring health. Exact mechanisms remain to be elucidated but may involve genetic modification. This research was funded by IRCSET and University College Dublin.

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Adolescent depression, early psychiatric comorbidities, and adulthood welfare burden: a 25-year longitudinal cohort study

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology ◽

10.1007/s00127-021-02056-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Iman Alaie ◽

Richard Ssegonja ◽

Anna Philipson ◽

Anne-Liis von Knorring ◽

Margareta Möller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Early Life ◽

Adolescent Depression ◽

Longitudinal Cohort Study ◽

Health Concern ◽

Psychiatric Comorbidities ◽

Longitudinal Cohort ◽

Transfer Payments ◽

Social Transfer ◽

The Impact

Abstract Purpose Depression at all ages is recognized as a global public health concern, but less is known about the welfare burden following early-life depression. This study aimed to (1) estimate the magnitude of associations between depression in adolescence and social transfer payments in adulthood; and (2) address the impact of major comorbid psychopathology on these associations. Methods This is a longitudinal cohort study of 539 participants assessed at age 16–17 using structured diagnostic interviews. An ongoing 25-year follow-up linked the cohort (n = 321 depressed; n = 218 nondepressed) to nationwide population-based registries. Outcomes included consecutive annual data on social transfer payments due to unemployment, work disability, and public assistance, spanning from age 18 to 40. Parameter estimations used the generalized estimating equations approach. Results Adolescent depression was associated with all forms of social transfer payments. The estimated overall payment per person and year was 938 USD (95% CI 551–1326) over and above the amount received by nondepressed controls. Persistent depressive disorder was associated with higher recipiency across all outcomes, whereas the pattern of findings was less clear for subthreshold and episodic major depression. Moreover, depressed adolescents presenting with comorbid anxiety and disruptive behavior disorders evidenced particularly high recipiency, exceeding the nondepressed controls with an estimated 1753 USD (95% CI 887–2620). Conclusion Adolescent depression is associated with considerable public expenditures across early-to-middle adulthood, especially for those exposed to chronic/persistent depression and psychiatric comorbidities. This finding suggests that the clinical heterogeneity of early-life depression needs to be considered from a longer-term societal perspective.

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Early-Life Development of the Bifidobacterial Community in the Infant Gut

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22073382 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (7) ◽

pp. 3382

Author(s):

Silvia Saturio ◽

Alicja M. Nogacka ◽

Marta Suárez ◽

Nuria Fernández ◽

Laura Mantecón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Early Life ◽

Feeding Habits ◽

Its Region ◽

23S Rrna ◽

Delivery Mode ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Quantitative Changes ◽

The Impact

The establishment of the gut microbiota poses implications for short and long-term health. Bifidobacterium is an important taxon in early life, being one of the most abundant genera in the infant intestinal microbiota and carrying out key functions for maintaining host-homeostasis. Recent metagenomic studies have shown that different factors, such as gestational age, delivery mode, or feeding habits, affect the gut microbiota establishment at high phylogenetic levels. However, their impact on the specific bifidobacterial populations is not yet well understood. Here we studied the impact of these factors on the different Bifidobacterium species and subspecies at both the quantitative and qualitative levels. Fecal samples were taken from 85 neonates at 2, 10, 30, 90 days of life, and the relative proportions of the different bifidobacterial populations were assessed by 16S rRNA–23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Absolute levels of the main species were determined by q-PCR. Our results showed that the bifidobacterial population establishment is affected by gestational age, delivery mode, and infant feeding, as it is evidenced by qualitative and quantitative changes. These data underline the need for understanding the impact of perinatal factors on the gut microbiota also at low taxonomic levels, especially in the case of relevant microbial populations such as Bifidobacterium. The data obtained provide indications for the selection of the species best suited for the development of bifidobacteria-based products for different groups of neonates and will help to develop rational strategies for favoring a healthy early microbiota development when this process is challenged.

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The impact of early life shocks on human capital formation: evidence from El Niño floods in Ecuador

Journal of Health Economics ◽

10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.07.003 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 ◽

pp. 13-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Maria Rosales-Rueda

Keyword(s):

Human Capital ◽

El Niño ◽

Early Life ◽

El Nino ◽

Capital Formation ◽

Human Capital Formation ◽

The Impact

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Gene regulation contributes to explain the impact of early life socioeconomic disadvantage on adult inflammatory levels in two cohort studies

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82714-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cristian Carmeli ◽

Zoltán Kutalik ◽

Pashupati P. Mishra ◽

Eleonora Porcu ◽

Cyrille Delpierre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Gene Regulation ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Early Life ◽

Life Experiences ◽

Socioeconomic Disadvantage ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

AbstractIndividuals experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage in childhood have a higher rate of inflammation-related diseases decades later. Little is known about the mechanisms linking early life experiences to the functioning of the immune system in adulthood. To address this, we explore the relationship across social-to-biological layers of early life social exposures on levels of adulthood inflammation and the mediating role of gene regulatory mechanisms, epigenetic and transcriptomic profiling from blood, in 2,329 individuals from two European cohort studies. Consistently across both studies, we find transcriptional activity explains a substantive proportion (78% and 26%) of the estimated effect of early life disadvantaged social exposures on levels of adulthood inflammation. Furthermore, we show that mechanisms other than cis DNA methylation may regulate those transcriptional fingerprints. These results further our understanding of social-to-biological transitions by pinpointing the role of gene regulation that cannot fully be explained by differential cis DNA methylation.

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