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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2025/Paper I/Human Genetics & Human Biology
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper I 2025 10 Marks Model Answer Available

Foetal Origin of Adult Diseases and David Barker — 2025 Paper I

Question · 2025 · Paper I · 10 Marks

Foetal origin of adult diseases and contribution of David Barker.

Model Answer

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Introduction The "Fetal Origins of Adult Disease" (FOAD) hypothesis, now broadly known as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) paradigm, posits that environmental conditions during gestation permanently "program" the body's physiology, determining susceptibility to chronic diseases later in life.

David Barker’s Contribution (The Barker Hypothesis)

  • The Epidemiological Breakthrough: In the late 1980s, British epidemiologist David Barker observed a geographical paradox in the UK: the poorest regions with the highest infant mortality in the early 20th century had the highest rates of coronary heart disease decades later.
  • The Core Hypothesis: Barker proved an inverse relationship between birth weight and adult cardiovascular disease. He argued that maternal undernutrition leads to intrauterine growth restriction (low birth weight), which permanently alters the fetus's metabolic structure, increasing the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, and Type-2 diabetes in adulthood.
  • The Thrifty Phenotype Hypothesis (Hales & Barker, 1992): Barker and C.N. Hales proposed that a malnourished fetus adapts to survive by prioritizing nutrients for vital organs (the brain) at the expense of others (like the pancreas or kidneys).

Biological Mechanism: Predictive Adaptive Response & Epigenetics

  • Metabolic Mismatch: The fetus makes a "predictive adaptation" for a life of nutritional scarcity. If the individual is later exposed to an affluent, calorie-rich postnatal environment, a "mismatch" occurs. The "thrifty" metabolism cannot handle excess calories, leading to metabolic syndrome.
  • Epigenetic Programming: Anthropologists and geneticists now understand this occurs through epigenetics (e.g., DNA methylation), where environmental stress permanently switches certain metabolic genes on or off without altering the DNA sequence.

Significance in Medical Anthropology

  • Embodiment of Inequality: The theory demonstrates how social inequalities (poverty, gender discrimination, poor maternal healthcare) become biologically embedded before birth. It highlights "structural violence" on the maternal body.
  • The Indian Context: It explains the "Thin-Fat Indian Baby" phenomenon. Due to generations of maternal malnutrition, South Asian babies are born smaller but with higher visceral adiposity, making them genetically predisposed to India's current epidemic of Type-2 diabetes amid rapid urbanization.
  • Intergenerational Cycle: It shifts the blame of lifestyle diseases away from just "adult choices" (diet/exercise) to intergenerational cycles of poverty and maternal health.

Conclusion David Barker’s pioneering work fundamentally shifted medical and anthropological focus from adult lifestyle interventions to a life-course approach, proving that maternal health and the intrauterine environment are the true foundation of public health.

2026 Genetic polymorphism and natural selection. 2026 Numerical chromosomal aberrations can be due to abnormalities in autosomes as well as sex chromosomes. Elaborate in terms of the effects these have on human body, giving suitable examples. 2026 Distinguishing features of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. 2026 How would you find out that a particular disease/disorder is inherited and, if so, in which manner? Elaborate with suitable examples.

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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2025 — Paper I

28 questions

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10 Marks150 words
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10 Marks150 words
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1(c) Osteodontokeratik culture and its makers.

10 Marks150 words
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