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According to the Barker hypothesis (Hales and Barker 1992) (also referred to as small baby syndrome ), infants with too low body weight have an increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic kidney diseases in adulthood. According to this hypothesis, fetal protective mechanisms enable adaptation to unfavorable intrauterine conditions (chronic oxygen or nutrient deficiency) and allow for fetal survival. At the same time, however, they lead to permanent structural and functional strains and changes into adulthood. The comprehensive study recently published in
Nature Communications now clarifies central mechanisms of this phenomenon.
Fetuin-A plays a key role