According to the Barker Hypothesis, insufficient maternal resources can lead to:

The Barker Hypothesis, also known as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), posits that the environment during fetal development significantly influences an individual’s long-term health. According to this hypothesis, inadequate maternal resources, such as poor nutrition or lack of maternal health care, can lead to a suboptimal fetal environment. This can result in developmental adaptations that the fetus makes in response to perceived scarcity, which may protect the fetus in the short term but can predispose the individual to various chronic diseases later in life, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity, as the organism encounters a different environment postnatally.

Thus, the long-term risk of chronic diseases due to in utero exposure to insufficient maternal resources aligns directly with the principles of the Barker Hypothesis, making it the correct answer. The adaptations made in utero may serve the fetal needs during development but become maladaptive in the context of the postnatal environment where resources are more plentiful.

Understanding this connection also highlights the importance of optimizing maternal health, as interventions aimed at improving maternal nutrition and healthcare access can not only benefit immediate pregnancy outcomes but may also have profound implications for the health of future generations.