A Life Course Perspective on Diabetes: Developmental Origins and Beyond
Type 2 diabetes, once considered a disease of old age, sadly now occurs not uncommonly in children and young adults. Diabetes thus affects everyone, from cradle to grave, and thus we have chosen ‘A life course perspective on diabetes: developmental origins and beyond’ as the theme of our 2019 special issue. The issue covers evolution and the diabesity epidemic, racial and sex differences in the burden of type 2 diabetes, under- and overnutrition and obesity/diabetes risk, maternal and paternal in utero programming, environmental agents as diabetes risk factors, the impact of early-life factors on type 1 diabetes, and cellular senescence and ageing effects in diabetes. We conclude with a piece tackling the question: what should governments do?
To watch an interview with Professor Dana Dabelea talking about this issue, click here.

A life course perspective on diabetes: developmental origins and beyond
Sally M. Marshall
The diabesity epidemic in the light of evolution: insights from the capacity–load model
Jonathan C. K. Wells
Racial/ethnic differences in the burden of type 2 diabetes over the life course: a focus on the USA and India
Sherita H. Golden, Chittaranjan Yajnik, Sanat Phatak, Robert L. Hanson and William C. Knowler
Sex differences in the burden of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk across the life course
Amy G. Huebschmann, Rachel R. Huxley, Wendy M. Kohrt, Philip Zeitler, Judith G. Regensteiner and Jane E. B. Reusch
Developmental undernutrition, offspring obesity and type 2 diabetes
Aryeh D. Stein, Okezi E. Obrutu, Rishikesh V. Behere and Chittaranjan S. Yajnik
Developmental overnutrition and obesity and type 2 diabetes in offspring
Wei Perng, Emily Oken and Dana Dabelea
Intrauterine programming of obesity and type 2 diabetes
Denise S. Fernandez-Twinn, Line Hjort, Boris Novakovic, Susan E. Ozanne and Richard Saffery
Paternal impact on the life course development of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the offspring
Gemma C. Sharp and Debbie A. Lawlor
Environmental neglect: endocrine disruptors as underappreciated but potentially modifiable diabetes risk factors
Robert M. Sargis and Rebecca A. Simmons
Early-life factors contributing to type 1 diabetes
Maria E. Craig, Ki Wook Kim, Sonia R. Isaacs, Megan A. Penno, Emma E. Hamilton-Williams, Jennifer J. Couper and William D. Rawlinson
Cellular senescence: at the nexus between ageing and diabetes
Allyson K. Palmer, Birgit Gustafson, James L. Kirkland and Ulf Smith