Several international epidemiological studies were published recently dealing with the possible relationship between foetal development and important chronic diseases like coronary heart disease or non-insulin dependent diabetes in the adult age, called Barker’s hypothesis. Paper reviews the evidence that the risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes in adult life may be set by nutrition and growth in fetal life. At the same time results of a small pilot study are presented, which correlate with this hypothesis.

        Key words: birth weight, insulin resistence, non-insulin dependent diabetes, Barker’s hypothesis