The next generation is expected to have a shorter life expectancy partly due to the obesity epidemic. Therefore, the Metabolic Imprinting Task Force is looking at obesity in the earliest stages of life. Metabolic imprinting refers to the effects of diet during pregnancy and infant feeding on the development of chronic diseases, including obesity and diabetes.

 

Key factors (both before and during pregnancy) contributing to obesity in the child have been identified. Recommendations were shared on how to improve the design of mother-child studies and how to maximize the use of existing data by encouraging greater collaboration among research teams. Evidence-based public health campaigns can use this information to raise public awareness on the risk of obesity transmission (Symonds, et al. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 2013).