Promotion of long-term health in early life

Noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are on the rise in high-income countries, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality and contributing to increased resource demands and healthcare costs. Early-life exposures can initiate trajectories that culminate in NCDs later in life. Examples include the metabolic-endocrine pathway to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases; the immune-mediated pathway to asthma and allergies; or the neurodevelopmental-psychological pathway to mental health problems. The interconnected trajectories involving microbiome composition, epigenetic signatures, nutrition, and psychological factors in early life can establish a basis for long-term health. While universal vaccination programs are in place to prevent infectious diseases, a coordinated effort to mitigate the rise of NCDs is missing. Examples of how to balance short- and long-term effects in early life include the use of appropriate medications, balanced healthcare interventions, optimized nutrition, and a nurturing care in early life. While these examples will not provide simple answers, they may stimulate important discussions and research into the overarching question: How can we deliver care in early life that achieves optimal short-term outcomes while promoting long-term health trajectories and well-being? While it is imperative to underscore the significance of subsequent periods to circumvent a deterministic conceptualization of a singular period as the primary catalyst for the development of physical and mental health, early life remains an underexploited window of opportunity fostering long-term health and mitigating the growing resource challenges faced by healthcare systems.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2026-09-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2601943123
Primary Topic
Birth, Development, and Health
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Promotion of long-term health in early life

Stefan Boes, Elisabeth F. C. van Rossum, Ferdinand von Meyenn, Martin Stocker et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Birth, Development, and Health
article

Promotion of long-term health in early life

Stefan Boes, Elisabeth F. C. van Rossum, Ferdinand von Meyenn, Martin Stocker, Shuai Xu, Stefania Ronzoni, Thomas Pilgrim, Debby Bogaert, Salhab el Helou, Isabelle Boucoiran, John A. Rogers, Patricia Lannen, Magnus Domellöf, Davide Morgillo, Petter Brodin, Claus Klingenberg, Sarah McDonald, Neil Patel, Annemarie van Rossum, Martin Christmann, Andrea Peitler
article en

Abstract

Noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are on the rise in high-income countries, leading to substantial morbidity and mortality and contributing to increased resource demands and healthcare costs. Early-life exposures can initiate trajectories that culminate in NCDs later in life. Examples include the metabolic-endocrine pathway to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases; the immune-mediated pathway to asthma and allergies; or the neurodevelopmental-psychological pathway to mental health problems. The interconnected trajectories involving microbiome composition, epigenetic signatures, nutrition, and psychological factors in early life can establish a basis for long-term health. While universal vaccination programs are in place to prevent infectious diseases, a coordinated effort to mitigate the rise of NCDs is missing. Examples of how to balance short- and long-term effects in early life include the use of appropriate medications, balanced healthcare interventions, optimized nutrition, and a nurturing care in early life. While these examples will not provide simple answers, they may stimulate important discussions and research into the overarching question: How can we deliver care in early life that achieves optimal short-term outcomes while promoting long-term health trajectories and well-being? While it is imperative to underscore the significance of subsequent periods to circumvent a deterministic conceptualization of a singular period as the primary catalyst for the development of physical and mental health, early life remains an underexploited window of opportunity fostering long-term health and mitigating the growing resource challenges faced by healthcare systems.

Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesVol. 123(39)
Oslo University Hospital (NO), University Hospital of North Norway (NO), Clinic for Special Children (US), Royal Children's Hospital (AU), University of Lucerne (CH), University Hospital of Bern (CH), McMaster Children's Hospital (CA), Erasmus MC (NL), Karolinska Institutet (SE), ETH Zurich (CH), Mount Sinai Hospital (US), Mount Sinai Hospital (US), Royal Hospital for Sick Children (GB), University Children's Hospital Zurich (CH), Early Intervention Foundation (GB), Centre for Inflammation Research (GB), Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind (CH), Wilhelmina Children's Hospital (NL), BioElectronics (United States) (US), Université de Montréal (CA), UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO), Umeå University (SE), University of Edinburgh (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Birth, Development, and Health
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