The endothelium is a single cell thick layer that lines the entire vascular system. It controls transportation of molecules between blood and tissue. Thus the endothelium is the first responder to anything wrong in the blood. It is important to understand how a mother’s diet or diabetes,
will affect the endothelium’s ability to sense changes in disease states. The group speculates that the environment in the womb will hamper the cells’ ability to respond to disease states later in the child’s life and will lead to cardiovascular disease.