Topic Highlight
The first 1000 days of life: the future is there Interview to prof. Hugo Heymans
Hugo Heymans
1Academic Medical Centre University of Amsterdam (NL)
In the eighties of the past century Barker et al. found a correlation in certain areas in Great Britain between neonatal mortality and poor nutrition in early life and cardiovascular heart disease, hypertension and diabetes in adulthood. The difference in nutritional intake in early life has an enormous impact on gene expression. In a world were life expectancy is globally increasing and at the same time chronic and noncommunicable diseases are showing a steep upwards trend, health care should not confine itself to the treatment of disease but should strive with all possible efforts to keep people healthy as long as possible. The first 1000 days offer a window of unknown opportunities to realize that important goal.