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Hoogland M, Ploeger A. Two Different Mismatches: Integrating the Developmental and the Evolutionary-Mismatch Hypothesis. Perspect Psychol Sci 2022; 17:1737-1745. [PMID: 35834332 PMCID: PMC9634284 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221078318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary psychology aims to understand the origins of the human mind,
including disease. Several theories about the origins of disease have been
proposed. One concerns a developmental mismatch—a mismatch might occur at the
individual level between the environment experienced during childhood and the
environment the adult finds herself in, possibly resulting in disease. A second
theory concerns the idea of an evolutionary mismatch—humans are adapted to
ancestral conditions so they might now experience a mismatch with their modern
environment, possibly resulting in disease. A third theory—differential
susceptibility—outlines how genetic and epigenetic differences influence the
extent to which humans are susceptible to rearing, including positive and
negative experiences. Because of these differences, some individuals are more
prone to develop disease than others. We review empirical studies that
substantiate these theories and argue that an overarching theory that integrates
these three lines into one provides a more accurate understanding of disease
from an evolutionary perspective.
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McDonald CR, Weckman AM, Wright JK, Conroy AL, Kain KC. Developmental origins of disease highlight the immediate need for expanded access to comprehensive prenatal care. Front Public Health 2022; 10:1021901. [PMID: 36504964 PMCID: PMC9730730 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1021901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The prenatal environment plays a critical role in shaping fetal development and ultimately the long-term health of the child. Here, we present data linking prenatal health, via maternal nutrition, comorbidities in pregnancy (e.g., diabetes, hypertension), and infectious and inflammatory exposures, to lifelong health through the developmental origins of disease framework. It is well-established that poor maternal health puts a child at risk for adverse outcomes in the first 1,000 days of life, yet the full health impact of the in utero environment is not confined to this narrow window. The developmental origins of disease framework identifies cognitive, neuropsychiatric, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, and chronic diseases in childhood and adulthood that have their genesis in prenatal life. This perspective highlights the enormous public health implications for millions of pregnancies where maternal care, and therefore maternal health and fetal health, is lacking. Despite near universal agreement that access to antenatal care is a priority to protect the health of women and children in the first 1,000 days of life, insufficient progress has been achieved. Instead, in some regions there has been a political shift toward deprioritizing maternal health, which will further negatively impact the health and safety of pregnant people and their children across the lifespan. In this article we argue that the lifelong health impact attributed to the perinatal environment justifies policies aimed at improving access to comprehensive antenatal care globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe R McDonald
- Sandra A. Rotman (SAR) Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea M Weckman
- Sandra A. Rotman (SAR) Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julie K Wright
- Sandra A. Rotman (SAR) Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea L Conroy
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Kevin C Kain
- Sandra A. Rotman (SAR) Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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