Set up for life

We’re used to the idea that as adults we have some control over our destiny: what we eat and drink and how much we exercise can affect our health. But the risks of heart disease and diabetes can be programmed much earlier – even before we are born. The environment of our earliest months in the womb can affect our long-term health, and even the health of our grandchildren.

Hear three experts unpick how the lived experiences of our parents and grandparents affect us before we are born, and how we might counteract adverse outcomes.

Professor Dino Giussani (Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience) will talk about his work on how the environment in the womb programmes our cardiovascular health in later life. Professor Sue Ozanne (Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science) discusses how growth and nutrition in the womb influences our risk of type 2 diabetes. And Professor Claire Hughes (Centre for Family Research) describes how even a parent’s emotional state can play a role in outcomes for the baby – surprisingly, this link was equally strong if the father had a ‘difficult pregnancy’ emotionally.

Hosted by Craig Brierley.

Register for the event on Eventbrite: https://setupforlife.eventbrite.co.uk/

This event is hosted by the Reproduction Strategic Research Initiative and HORIZONS magazine. The magazine is freely available for download, where you can meet the experts on pages 30-33.

This event is part of the Cambridge Festival 2021. The Festival organisers have prepared a Code of Conduct. This is to ensure that the Festival is a positive experience for everyone of all gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, with any disability and of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, religions/beliefs and other protected identities based on the UK’s 2010 Equality Act. By attending Festival events, you are confirming that you will abide by this Code of Conduct in all interactions throughout the Festival