Recent Advances In Growth Research Nutritional Molecular And Endocrine Perspectives

Growth in mammals encompasses several stages, from intrauterine growth through infancy and childhood to adolescence. Each of these phases is characterized by very specific nutritional, molecular and endocrine perspectives which, under ideal conditions, allow the organism to achieve its genetically programmed growth patterns. In this book, an international panel of experts addresses these topics in a historical, physiological and social perspective. The first part investigates the genetic, epigenetic, molecular and nutritional determinants of intrauterine and postnatal growth. Part two deals with non-evolutionary changes which occurred in the recent past, such as changes in body size in utero, during infancy and childhood, and during adolescence, and the potentially unfavorable consequences of enhanced nutrition and growth, including early onset of puberty, development of obesity, and increases in metabolic and cardiovascular disease. The last part addresses the question of which factors define healthy growth in light of the influence of nutritional, molecular and endocrine influences. Although the association between rapid changes in body size and adverse health effects is clear, the precise nature of causality remains uncertain. Presenting the latest scientific findings in growth research, this publication provides essential reading for pediatricians, clinical investigators and health workers.

Growth in mammals encompasses several stages, from intrauterine growth through infancy and childhood to adolescence. Each of these phases is characterized by very specific nutritional, molecular and endocrine perspectives which, under ideal conditions, allow the organism to achieve its genetically programmed growth patterns.In this book, an international panel of experts addresses these topics in a historical, physiological and social perspective. The first part investigates the genetic, epigenetic, molecular and nutritional determinants of intrauterine and postnatal growth. Part two deals with non-evolutionary changes which occurred in the recent past, such as changes in body size in utero, during infancy and childhood, and during adolescence, and the potentially unfavorable consequences of enhanced nutrition and growth, including early onset of puberty, development of obesity, and increases in metabolic and cardiovascular disease. The last part addresses the question of which factors define healthy growth in light of the influence of nutritional, molecular and endocrine influences. Although the association between rapid changes in body size and adverse health effects is clear, the precise nature of causality remains uncertain. Presenting the latest scientific findings in growth research, this publication provides essential reading for pediatricians, clinical investigators and health workers.

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology provides an extensive and insightful overview of how economic conditions affect human well-being and how human health influences economic outcomes. The book addresses both macro and micro factors, as well as their interaction, providing new understanding of complex relationships and developments in economic history and economic dynamics. Among the topics explored is how variation in height, whether over time, among different socioeconomic groups, or in different locations, is an important indicator of changes in economic growth and economic development, levels of economic inequality, and economic opportunities for individuals.

Protein plays a vital role in growth and development and is able to 'program' healthy growth by influencing gene methylation for positive long-term health outcomes. The understanding of these mechanisms is critical to support and improve the health of future generations in both the short and long term.The first part of this book reviews the role of hydrolyzed proteins in infant feeding and the evidence-based benefits of their use in non-breastfed infants at risk of allergy and in infants with functional gastrointestinal disorders. The second part focuses on human milk and its potential alternatives in the feeding of healthy term infants. The final section is dedicated to preterm infants, their nutrition needs, and physiological capacities to ingest adequate amounts of protein for appropriate growth and development. Presenting the latest scientific findings on protein in early nutrition, this publication provides essential reading for pediatricians and researchers alike.

There is ample evidence that early-life nutrition plays a powerful role in programming a person's development, metabolism and health for the future. Optimizing early nutrition may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, allergies, diabetes and obesity, and positively influence immune function as well as cognitive and behavioral outcomes later in life. The first part of this book covers the impact of nutrition on the immune system, the role of gut microbiota in the immune status, as well as the prevention and management of food allergies in children. The second part is dedicated to obesity prevention: experts in epigenetics and metabolic programming share scientific evidence on the use of biomarkers for predicting the risk of early obesity. They also discuss potential strategies for interrupting intergenerational cycles of obesity during pregnancy, early infancy and childhood. The last part covers complementary feeding and its importance in short- and long-term health, and how it can affect behavioral and psychological aspects, as well as food preferences in later life.

Growth and nutrition during the fetal period and the first 24 months after birth are important determinants of development in early childhood. Optimal nutrition and health care of both the mother and infant during these first 1000 days of an infant's life are closely linked to growth, learning potential and neurodevelopment, in turn affecting long-term outcomes.Children with low birth weight do not only include premature babies, but also those with intrauterine growth restrictions who consequently have a very high risk of developing metabolic syndrome in the future. Epidemiology, epigenetic programming, the correct nutrition strategy and monitoring of outcomes are thus looked at carefully in this book. More specifically, two important nutritional issues are dealt with in depth: The first being the prevention of low birth weight, starting with the health of adolescent girls, through the pre-pregnancy and pregnancy stages and ending with lactation. The second point of focus concerns the nutritional follow-up and feeding opportunities in relation to dietary requirements of children with low birth weight.

The natural world can be viewed as a continuously changing complex system comprising variable units that do not conform to any stable plan. Within this framework, human evolution is not the story of the past that created Homo sapiens and then handed this account over to written history. It is the ongoing process that shapes us now and will shape us in the future, body and mind. We must understand it in order to survive and be able to direct it to our advantage. The Dynamic Human presents a general theory of how humans function as a multi-individual system embedded in the natural world. The authors employ a unified approach of systems theory to outline forces that direct ongoing human evolution and produce its outcomes in terms of the past, present and future. Readers will find a perspective on the human place in nature, through a brief account of the past human evolution over 10 million years ago, a discussion of the earliest appearance of humans some 2 million years ago, and a description of the mechanisms of the changes in the gene pool of humans from generation-to-generation. Understanding the forces involved in these mechanisms (physical and mental growth and development) may allow us to understand world better. The Dynamic Human presents a simplified perspective on human evolution for all readers interested in a discourse on the origins, nature and future of human beings.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. ​This handbook synthesizes and analyzes the growing knowledge base on life course health development (LCHD) from the prenatal period through emerging adulthood, with implications for clinical practice and public health. It presents LCHD as an innovative field with a sound theoretical framework for understanding wellness and disease from a lifespan perspective, replacing previous medical, biopsychosocial, and early genomic models of health. Interdisciplinary chapters discuss major health concerns (diabetes, obesity), important less-studied conditions (hearing, kidney health), and large-scale issues (nutrition, adversity) from a lifespan viewpoint. In addition, chapters address methodological approaches and challenges by analyzing existing measures, studies, and surveys. The book concludes with the editors’ research agenda that proposes priorities for future LCHD research and its application to health care practice and health policy. Topics featured in the Handbook include: The prenatal period and its effect on child obesity and metabolic outcomes. Pregnancy complications and their effect on women’s cardiovascular health. A multi-level approach for obesity prevention in children. Application of the LCHD framework to autism spectrum disorder. Socioeconomic disadvantage and its influence on health development across the lifespan. The importance of nutrition to optimal health development across the lifespan. The Handbook of Life Course Health Development is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians/professionals, and graduate students in developmental psychology/science; maternal and child health; social work; health economics; educational policy and politics; and medical law as well as many interrelated subdisciplines in psychology, medicine, public health, mental health, education, social welfare, economics, sociology, and law.