Nutrition and Development
Short- and Long-Term Consequences for Health

The concept, that early growth and development determines health in animals, has been known to nutritional
scientists for more than 70 years. However, the realisation that this concept has major implications for human
health is much more recent. The importance of considering the effect of diet on the whole life-cycle, rather
than focusing on middle-aged and older adults, is increasingly recognised, particularly when the seeds of
adult disease may be sown in utero and in infancy.