The first 1000 days: A critical period of nutritional opportunity and vulnerability

The period of life between conception and a child's second birthday, referred to popularly as the first 1000 days, is key to lifelong health and wellbeing.1 It is a period of rapid growth and neurodevelopment, high nutritional requirements and high sensitivity to programming effects and, as a consequence, is a time of great vulnerability.2 Failure to provide sufficient kilojoules and key nutrients during this critical period may result in...