Early life disadvantage, phenotypic programming, and health disparities. (April 2020) - Mengelkoch, Summer
Highlights: Early life conditions impact developmental trajectories. Adverse early environments favor phenotypes suited to these conditions. Growing up poor is associated with inflammation and eating in the absence of hunger. These factors may contribute to health disparities associated with growing up poor. Abstract : Much research finds that early life socioeconomic disadvantage predicts poorer health later in life, even among those whose conditions improve in adulthood. Although there are numerous factors that contribute to this association, recent research suggests that growing up in adverse socioecological environments may promote developmental patterns that facilitate pre-reproductive survival in harsh environments, but can also come at the cost of reduced longevity. Here, we review recent research demonstrating that early life exposure to low socioeconomic status can become embedded in the mechanisms that regulate (a) bodily inflammatory activity and (b) energy regulation in ways that contribute to poor health. This research offers new insights into ways that early life environments can get under one's skin to impact health and longevity.