Effect Of Diet and Other Early Exposures on Child Health and Development

National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences

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Abstract

Diet and other early exposures may affect child development and the risk of several chronic diseases, but additional research is needed. The current research described in this catch-all project comprises one project, described below. We examined the association of a mother's age at menarche with the rate of growth and obesity in her offspring, using data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project. Women with earlier menarche had offspring who, well before puberty, developed more quickly and had higher body mass indexes at a given age. The pattern of growth and body habitus in children is inherited in a manner related to their mother's own sexual maturation. Last years progress: 1 paper was published (see list below).