While a nutritious diet has clear benefits for health and longevity, the general support for a lasting effect of early diet on lifespan is unknown. This study reports a meta-analysis across experimental studies on a range of systems - from laboratory mice to butterflies - in which early diet was manipulated and effects on lifespan recorded. The authors find no general effect that a poor early diet restricts or extends lifespan, although evidence from certain key studies suggests that poor diet can have lasting effects through cellular damage.

Article: Does early-life diet affect longevity? A meta-analysis across experimental studies, Sinead English, Tobias Uller, Biology Letters/em>, doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0291, published online 6 September 2016.