Exposure to maternal under- or over-nutrition during gestation, or early life overfeeding can have life-long consequences for immune system functioning, metabolism and behavior. The schematic illustrates two rodent models of prenatal programming, maternal undernutrition and maternal obesity; and one rodent model of neonatal programming, suckling rats in small litters, along with some examples of the physiological, metabolic, and behavioral changes that occur as a result. The schematic also illustrates a model of adult onset calorie restriction, which can have a number of health promoting benefits.
Abbreviations: CORT, corticosterone; CRP, C-reactive-protein; Hp, hippocampus; Hyp, hypothalamus; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; TNF, tumor necrosis factor