Feast or Famine: In the fast lane to puberty

Early life adversity, particularly inadequate nutrition, has been shown to induce long-term adverse metabolic and cardiovascular consequences in offspring. Research into the developmental programming of disease has now incorporated aspects of reproductive physiology, suggesting that reproductive function may similarly have a developmental origin. Although evidence for early life nutritional infl uences on reproductive function is mounting, a clear understanding of the link between maternal nutrition and offspring ovarian maturation has not been established. We have shown that maternal undernutrition, and in some circumstances, maternal high fat feeding, before or during pregnancy or during early postnatal life, can alter the reproductive function of the offspring. This early nutritional imbalance may exert its effects on reproductive factors such as timing of puberty, gonadal development and pituitary-gonadal activity. Very few studies have investigated the effects of maternal undernutrition on ovarian function/development. Nevertheless, it is clear that the developing gonad is sensitive to its immediate environment and nutritional perturbations can have long-term consequences on adult reproductive function. © 2012 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston.