The first 1000 days of life: Role of healthcare providers to preserve the health capital of tomorrow's adults

Adult health is largely dependent on the environment during critical periods of fetal life or early childhood. This concept is known as the "Developmental Origins of Health and Disease "(DOHAD). Exposure to toxicants such as endocrine disruptors, western diet, " toxic " stress, or imbalance of the intestinal microbiota may be associated with the occurrence of non communicable diseases including metabolic syndrome (obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes), cancer, inflammatory disease, or allergy. Other perinatal environmental factors may have protective effects on non communicable diseases such as physical activity during pregnancy, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy and lactation. The mechanisms involve epigenetic changes that may alter gene expression throughout life. In this article, we will describe the impact of three factors of the perinatal environment likely to play a role in programming non communicable diseases: low birth weight, toxicants exposure, and "toxic" stress.