ARTAC

The developmental origin of diseases (DOHaD) brings new knowledge as regards their physiopathology. We now understand that poor fetal growth, small size at birth and the onset in the embryo and fetus of epigenomic and thus genomic “stress” induced by exogens agents including environmental toxicants are followed by a higher risk of cancers, coronary diseases,  strokes, high blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, asthma, allergies, congenital malformations, rare disorders, autism and other handicaps. This led to the hypothesis that these disorders start in utero in the mother following imbalanced diet, “ stress “ caused by physical agents, high levels of toxic chemicals, certain viruses.  The developmental origin of diseases is now a full-blown research field involving fundamental sciences and clinical research : if so many diseases are triggered by environmental factors at the fetal stage, joint efforts must be deployed to prevent the onset of these diseases in generations to come.