Early Origins of Obesity

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In the last decade there has been a substantial increase in the number of overweight and obese individuals. Obesity is now a major public health issue in Australia and, along with its associated disorders of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, incurs significant health care costs. There is a widespread awareness of the problem, but it has proved difficult to bring this obesity epidemic under control, and unless we can understand the underlying causes, the trend seems set to continue. This research proposal seeks to define the mechanisms which lead to the development of obesity. Evidence from a large range of clinical and population-based studies has shown that infants who are exposed to an increased supply of nutrients before birth have an increased risk of being overweight or obese as children and adults. It is not however, fully understood why this occurs. In normal adults, factors released by fat cells play an important role in the maintenance of energy balance, and changes in the levels of these factors in the fat cell or in the circulation can lead to increased weight gain and the development of poor sensitivity of the body's tissues to the actions of hormones, such as insulin. Fat cells develop before birth, and therefore changes in nutrient supply to the fetus have the potential to alter the functional properties of fat cells for life. In this proposal, we will investigate the effect of being exposed to an increased supply of nutrients in fetal life on the properties of fat cells after birth and define how such changes explain the development of obesity in these individuals. Understanding the mechanisms which link the risk of obesity to events before birth will allow clinicians of the future to provide children who are born to overweight, glucose-intolerant or diabetic mothers with a healthy start to life.