Abstract: There are many instances in life when the environment plays a critical role in the health outcomes of an individual， especially those experienced in fetal and neonatal life. The most detrimental environmental problems encountered during this critical growth period are changes in nutrition to the growing fetus and newborn. Disturbances in the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus can not only lead to adverse fetal growth patterns，but also be associated with the development of features of metabolic syndrome in adult life. This fetal response has been termed developmental programming or the developmental origins of health and disease. The present review focuses on the epidemiological studies that identified this association and the importance that animal models have played in studying this concept.

Key words: Fetal growth retardation, Birth weight, Model, animal, Gene expression, Diabetes mellitus, Obesity, Hypertension, Cardiovascular diseases