Draft Report for Scientific Consultation: 'The influence of maternal, fetal and child nutrition on the development of chronic disease in later life' - February 2010
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) welcomes your comments on its draft report on ‘The influence of maternal, fetal and child nutrition on the development of chronic disease in later life'. This review was undertaken by the SACN Subgroup on Maternal and Child Nutrition (SMCN).
The draft report is a technical report that reviews the evidence on the influence of maternal, fetal and child nutrition, including growth and development in utero and early childhood (i.e. up to the age of 5 years), on the development of disease later in life. The Committee has also considered the broader implications of the evidence for maternal and child health, focusing on information from national surveys of the diet and nutritional status of women and children in the UK, and smaller studies of pregnant women.
The draft report's main conclusions are:
- The evidence associating early life nutrition with later risk of chronic disease comes from many sources and is variable in quality. Both observational studies in humans and experimental studies in animals give cause for concern about the later health consequences of compromised nutrient supply during early growth and development.
- National survey data have consistently indicated that many adults and children in the UK, particularly those socially or educationally deprived, have diets of poor quality. In the context of reproduction, the impact of energy dense diets of low micronutrient content on women and girls is of particular concern.
- The rising prevalence of obesity in girls and young women represents an important and modifiable risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcome.
SACN would welcome feedback on the conclusions of its review before the report is finalised and published with recommendations.
The 12-week scientific consultation will run until 30th April 2010. Respondents are asked to comment on the scientific content of the report only and not on the risk management aspects of the conclusions, as these are outside SACN's remit.
In accordance with the principle of openness, SACN will make responses available to the public on request. SACN may also publish a summary of responses, which may include personal data, such as your full name and contact address details. If you do not want this personal information to be released, please indicate this clearly in your response.
Comments can be emailed to sacn@dh.gsi.gov.uk or sent to the SACN Secretariat at the following address: Rachel Marklew, Room 704 Wellington House, 133-155 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UG and should be forwarded no later than 30th April 2010.
A copy of the report can be found at the link above.
Related issues:
Responses to the consultation and actions taken can be viewed here