Health and Nutrition in Adolescents and Young Women: Preparing for the Next Generation

Nutrition of young women and its effect on offspring is an almost neglected topic in developed and developing countries alike. Under- as well as overnutrition of the mother can negatively program the child's health: Maternal undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are related to both low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation. Moreover, they also result in negative epigenetic programming both during conception and in the newborn. Obese mothers, on the other hand, may produce offs