Metabolic imprinting refers to the epigenetic programming of metabolism

Metabolism

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...

 during the pre-natal and neo-natal periods.

Studies in both humans and animals have shown that the events during gestation

Gestation

Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....

and early post-natal stages may have long term consequences for health. Fetal under-nutrition is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, type II diabetes and hypertension, amongst other diseases