Lifestyle related diseases like diabetes have shown an immense increase in prevalence in India during recent times. On the other hand it has been plagued by malnutrition since ages. Researchers all over the world are exploring the cause for this geographical coexistence of under and over nutrition. Numerous studies have shown a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in individuals who had lower birth weight or height, but who had 'normal' weight as adults. A number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain the above phenomenon, all emphasizing the changes in fetal metabolism in order to attain normal development of brain despite intrauterine environmental limitations. The propensity to central obesity in Indians has been shown to be programmed in-utero. The life course model proposes that a combination of antenatal, epigenetic as well as post-natal influences are responsible for the recent epidemic of diabetes in the Indian population. Therefore, avoiding maternal malnutrition and decreasing the prevalence of low birth weight could be possible additions to the conventional method of lifestyle intervention in the prevention of diabetes.

Key Words: Low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation, type 2 diabetes.