Importance of fetus life on human health

Inspired by an article of Annie Murphy Paul and a quote of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen

The citizens across the world irrespective of their race, religion and geography face many common ailments such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, allergies, asthma, obesity, mental illness even of conditions relating to old age like arthritis, osteoporosis etc. The conventional answers are genetics and adult lifestyle like diets & exercise. There is yet another important influencing factor popularly known fetal origin, the nine months gestation that a baby experiences in mothers womb. The proponents of fetal life of a baby consider pregnancy as a new scientific frontier beyond biology in determining the consequential period of human lives. Research on fetal origins, also called the developmental origin of health & disease is prompting a revolutionary thinking about where human qualities come from and when they begin to develop.

The life as a fetus incorporates a number of offerings that a mother is exposed to during pregnancy, like nutrition, pollutants, drugs, infections, stress level, state of mind etc. All these factors largely influence wiring of brain and functioning of organs such as heart, liver and pancreas. The condition that a mothers womb provides goes on to shape susceptibility to disease, metabolism and intelligence. The views on fetal origin is now exploding in to

modern researches and is subject matter of extreme importance to pregnant mothers and her family members in as much as the mother, the family and the society in general have responsibility to provide essential maternal contribution so that the fetus can absorb the very best in utero and the post fetal human life is healthy, long and fruitful. Sigmund Freud first pointed attention of formative years. The later sciences are increasingly figuring out that DNA is not the only answer to what human inherits. The intrauterine experiences are equally responsible for what happens to human once they are exposed out of mothers womb. Fetal links Here are some of the notable research findings that establishes fetal links to some of the critical human ailments Heart disease is known to be all about genetics and adult lifestyle. But about two decades ago a British physician named David Barker, a professor of University of Southampton in England and Oregon Health and Science University observed that the poorest region of England and Wales were the ones with highest rates of heart diseases. Individuals weighing less at birth have a higher risk of heart attack later in life perhaps because an under nourished fetus diverts nutrients to brain giving short shrift to developing heart. A study conducted by researchers of Harvard Medical School revealed that mothers who gain excessive weight during pregnancy tend to have heavier toddlers. A study published in 2006 in the journal Pediatrics stated that the babies conceived by mothers after their weight loss surgery was 52% less likely to be obese. In this case the bodies of children process fats and carbohydrates in a healthier way compared to their siblings born before the weight loss program of the mother A diabetic mothers high blood sugar may disrupt the metabolism of fetus thereby predisposing it to diabetes and obesity. It has

been noted by Dana Debelea, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Colorado at Denver that if womens blood sugar can be controlled during pregnancy then that would effectively reduce number of children who could develop diabetes later in their life During the course of a study on effect of pollution on fetuses and cancer in adults, Frederica Perera, the director of the center for childrens environmental health at Columbia University observed 30 years ago through a laboratory analysis that umbilical cord blood and placental tissue had evidence environmental pollution contamination. Since then research by Perera and others have propagated that traffic related air pollution during pregnancy gives rise to a host of adverse birth outcomes like premature delivery, low birth weight, heart malfunctioning and many more. Perera undertook further analytical study using monitor to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and found that cord blood of 40% of infants had subtle DNA damage linked to increase in risk of cancer at a later stage. Further analysis also found that IQ level of such children is lower than children who did not experienced pollution while in mothers womb. A case study based on 30 years of case records from Anhui province in China showed that pregnant women subjected to starvation and extreme stress give birth to children with higher risk of schizophrenia. Catherine Monk, Assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia University undertook a research of pregnant mothers on the basis of respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, nervous system arousal along with heart rate of fetuses and found that fetuses of depressed or anxious women display disturbances that are quite different. This indicates mothers moods may affect child development. How the maternal mood is transmitted and affects fetal development is a research in progress. It is most likely that apart from genetic causes and the way a child is brought up, intrauterine environment is a possible third pathway by which mental illness is passed down in families. Further researches in progress

Mathew Gill, a professor of popular medicine at Harvard University has launched a project ten years ago called Viva on National Childrens study enrolling about 100,000 pregnant mothers to uncover the developmental roots of health and disease. The project has begun to illuminate the fetal origins of asthma, allergies, obesity, heart diseases, brain development etc. The first result concerning the causes of premature births and birth defects are expected in year 2012 David Williams of Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon state University is testing that certain substances consumed by mothers during pregnancy like broccoli, cabbage etc provide babies with lifelong chemo protection from illness. Thus the fetal link could provide natural exposure shield against cancer. Public health consideration and campaign The Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen has co authored a paper about importance of fetal origin to populations health and productivity. According to him a poor prenatal experience sows the seeds of ailments that afflict adults. This makes the mothers womb a concerning target of public health by intervention before birth More socio economic research is required to assess how does the developing world is coping up with an inclusive program to build a nation while the future generation are in mothers womb and are yet to be born.

The publisher is Executive Director of Pur & Nursa infant care brands and this publication is solely for public awareness without any intention to progress the brands