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The prenatal period, during which a fully formed newborn capable of surviving outside its mother’s body is built from a single cell, is critical for human development. It is also the time when the foetus is particularly vulnerable to environmental factors, which may modulate the course of its development. Both epidemiological and animal studies have shown that foetal programming of physiological systems may alter the growth and function of organs and lead to pathology in adulthood. Nutrition is a particularly important environmental factor for the pregnant mother as it affects the condition of offspring. Numerous studies have shown that an unbalanced maternal metabolic status (under- or overnutrition) may cause long-lasting physiological and behavioural alterations, resulting in metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Various diets are used in laboratory settings in order to induce maternal obesity and metabolic disorders, and to alter the offspring development. The most popular models are: high-fat, high-sugar, high-fat-high-sugar, and cafeteria diets. Maternal undernutrition models are also used, which results in metabolic problems in offspring. Similarly to animal data, human studies have shown the influence of mothers’ diets on the development of children. There is a strong link between the maternal diet and the birth weight, metabolic state, changes in the cardiovascular and central nervous system of the offspring. The mechanisms linking impaired foetal development and adult diseases remain under discussion. Epigenetic mechanisms are believed to play a major role in prenatal programming. Additionally, sexually dimorphic effects on offspring are observed. Therefore, further research on both sexes is necessary.

The growing popularity of health education on social media indicates the need for its appropriate evaluation. This paper aims to present the potential of the Kirkpatrick Model (KM) with New World Kirkpatrick Model (NWKM) additions to evaluate the nutritional education provided by dieticians via Instagram. Instagram profiles of ten dieticians providing nutritional education for their followers were analyzed in March and April 2021. The study sample included profiles of both macro- and micro-influencers. The analyzed quantitative data included Instagram Engagement Rate and the number of likes and comments per post. The qualitative analysis of the comments was performed following the theoretical framework provided by the KM and NWKM. Collected data showed followers’ satisfaction, commitment, and relevance of the presented content, fulfilling the Level 1 of NWKM. Level 2 of NWKM was represented by 4 out of 5 dimensions (knowledge, attitude, confidence, commitment). No comments were found only for skills. Both Levels 3 (Behavior) and 4 (Results) of the KM were met. However, the use of the NWKM for them seems limited. The KM can be used to evaluate nutritional education on social media. The NWKM additions seem applicable mostly for Levels 1 and 2.

Summary Objective Since metabolic syndrome shares several clinical features with hypercortisolism, it was hypothesised that genes altering individual glucocorticoid (GC) sensitivity might be implicated in pathogenesis of obesity and its adverse outcomes. FKBP5 gene encodes a chaperon protein in the GC receptor (GR) complex, which modulates steroid action upon target genes. Its functional variant, rs1360780, may enhance FKBP5 gene transcription, affect GR signalling and thereby influence the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis. We investigated the association of rs1360780 with obesity and metabolic characteristics in 250 obese children and adolescents (mean age 12.3±3.6years, BMI ≥95th percentile). Methods Anthropometric measurements, body composition, biochemical and hormonal results were analysed. Genotyping of rs1360780 was compared with 568 lean controls. Results Impaired fasting glucose was present in 8.8%, glucose intolerance in 10.4%, diabetes in 2.8% and dyslipidemia in 28.8% obese individuals. Hypertension was diagnosed in 34 out of 143 patients. No difference was found in FKBP5 polymorphism distribution between subjects with obesity and controls ( p >0.05). Stratification by rs1360780 revealed no differences in body mass and composition. However, carriers of the minor allele displayed enhanced insulin resistance ( p =0.009) and elevated serum triglyceride ( p =0.006), whereas cholesterol, HbA1c, and oral glucose challenge results were similar for all genotypes. Morning ACTH and cortisol did not differ but evening cortisol was higher in minor allele carriers ( p =0.039), although this association was lost in logistic regression analysis. Conclusion This study does not support the association of FKBP5 with obesity but demonstrates plausible implication of its variant in susceptibility to obesity-related insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia.