Social determinants of health and biological embedding: From the social gradient to epigenetics in the DOHaD context.

Abstract

Current evidence shows that social and environmental conditions present from the earliest stages of life can influence health and disease trajectories. From the perspective of the DOHaD (developmental origins of health and disease) paradigm, the social determinants of health interact with nutritional, environmental, toxic, and psychosocial factors during periods of high biological plasticity, especially during the first 1000 days of life, modulating developmental programming processes. This view is supported by the social gradient in health, which shows a progressive worsening of morbidity and mortality as socioeconomic status declines. Based on these observations, the biological embedding hypothesis and social epigenetics have helped us understand how early-life experiences can influence human biology, providing evidence of molecular mechanisms linked to changes in DNA methylation patterns.