Background: The design of the original nutrition supplementation trial that was conducted from 1969 to 1977 in 4 villages in rural Guatemala to evaluate the benefits of improving nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood, combined with several follow-up studies, provides unique data to examine the effects of improving nutrition on the next generation. Objective: This article provides a summary of the key findings from the INCAP Longitudinal Study on the intergenerational effects of improving nutrition on the growth and well-being of the next generation. Methods: The key outcomes include offspring birth size as well as attained size and body composition through age 11 years. The sample sizes varied from approximately 200 to 800 depending on the timing of the follow-up studies and data collection protocols. The effects of parental birth size, maternal linear growth from birth through adulthood, and exposure to the nutrition intervention, that is, Atole versus Fresco during critical periods from prenatal through age 15 years, have been examined using complex models and approaches. Results: Overall, these publications demonstrate clear improvements in the growth of the next generation. Effects were seen primarily for maternal exposure to Atole and were larger for boys compared to girls. Stunting during early childhood among girls was also a significant predictor of offspring birth size, and younger age at first pregnancy (<20 years) was associated with an increased risk of stunting in the offspring. Conclusions: These studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of the importance of investing in nutrition, especially during early childhood for future generations.

中文翻译：

---

营养对下一代的影响：INCAP 纵向研究

背景：最初的营养补充试验于 1969 年至 1977 年在危地马拉农村的 4 个村庄进行，旨在评估改善孕期和幼儿期营养的益处，并结合多项后续研究，提供了独特的数据来检查改善营养对下一代的影响。目标：本文总结了 INCAP 纵向研究中关于改善营养对下一代生长和福祉的代际影响的主要发现。方法：主要结果包括后代出生大小以及 11 岁时达到的大小和身体成分。样本大小从大约 200 到 800 不等，具体取决于后续研究的时间和数据收集协议。父母出生大小的影响，母亲从出生到成年的线性生长，以及在从产前到 15 岁的关键时期接受营养干预的情况，即 Atole 与 Fresco，已经使用复杂的模型和方法进行了检查。结果：总体而言，这些出版物在下一代的生长方面表现出明显的改善。主要见于母亲接触 Atole 的影响，与女孩相比，男孩的影响更大。女孩儿童早期发育迟缓也是后代出生大小的重要预测因素，第一次怀孕时年龄较小（<20 岁）与后代发育迟缓风险增加有关。结论：这些研究极大地促进了我们对营养投资重要性的理解，尤其是在儿童早期对后代的重要性。