早期生命研究组已经建立了国际认可的研究计划，该计划的研究对象是儿童健康，妇产科和妇产科，研究早期饮食对以后健康和疾病的影响。我们进行内分泌，代谢和分子研究，以测量孕妇饮食对人类和一系列动物模型对怀孕生理以及胎儿和产后生长的影响。这些已经确定了早期生命编程的候选介体和机制，以及它们如何影响后期的能量平衡。因此，我们能够检查旨在预防不良脂肪组织发育和随后发生的高血压的营养干预措施。我们还进行了新颖的研究，研究了妊娠，哺乳或青少年生活中环境挑战的影响，以建立短期和长期健康结局，以及可以在早期阶段编程晚期肥胖风险
The Early Life Research Unit has an established internationally-recognised research programme investigating the impact of diet in early life on later health and disease based in the Division of Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology. We undertake endocrine, metabolic and molecular studies in order to measure the impact of maternal diet on the physiology of pregnancy plus fetal and postnatal growth in both humans and a range of animal models. These have identified candidate mediators and mechanisms for early life programming and how they may influence later energy balance. We are thus able to examine nutritional interventions designed to prevent adverse adipose tissue development and later hypertension. We are also conducting novel studies examining the impact of environmental challenges during pregnancy, lactation or juvenile life in order to establish the short- and long-term health outcomes, together with the extent to which risk of later obesity can be programmed in early life.