Lost generations

Summary

The Holdsworth Memorial Hospital in Mysore, India, has maintained records of the sizes of all the babies born in its maternity department since 1934, allowing health researchers unique access to a ...

The Holdsworth Memorial Hospital in Mysore, India, has maintained records of the sizes of all the babies born in its maternity department since 1934, allowing health researchers unique access to a large cross section of the population now in middle age. Worryingly, the data shows that adults born with low birth weight are more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease in later life -- while another long-term study of 8-year-old children demonstrates clear links between fetal growth and retarded development later in life. This Life episode explores what can be done to improve maternal diet and break the vicious cycle of poverty and ill-health that condemns whole populations to sub-standard lives.

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