Short Reviews: Ellen Ruppel Shell

"Interior Designs (non-fiction)" [permanent link]. An interesting article that looks at how adult 'lifestyle' diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease may be cause much earlier in life; while the baby is in the womb. By tracing the birth records of people, there may be a correlation between those diseases and low birth rates or malnorishment during pregnancy. The growth of organs may be affected by the nutrients the developing baby gets and effects like obesity may be due to the baby being 'programmed' for a life of starvation but then getting too much food in later life. Further studies are needed but the link is very suggestive.
Read from Dec 2002 Discover magazine