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. Energy and/or protein restriction is the most critical determinant for fetal programming. There is a growing body of evidence that improper intrauterine nutrition may negatively influence vascular health in later life. It concerns both undernutrition and overnutrition. Imbalanced intrauterine nutrition seems to influence vascular health in the offspring by both an increase in their cardiometabolic risk factors and direct influence on vascular structure and function. Maternal malnutrition may result in intrauterine growth retardation and, in turn, metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, can also enhanced risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular death in the offspring.

Key words: Nutritional status, Fetal growth retardation, Fetal weight, Pregnant women, Overnutrition, Fetal macrosomia