We searched the PubMed/MEDLINE databases for studies published in English between January 1980 and May 2021, using the following search terms: “cardiovascular disease”, “developmental programming”, “DOHaD”, “reprogramming”, “gut microbiota”, “probiotics”, “prebiotics”, “synbiotics”, “postbiotics”, “mother”, “pregnancy”, “gestation”, “offspring”, “progeny”, “atherosclerosis”, “heart”, “vascular”, “endothelial dysfunction”, “stroke”, “thrombosis”, “aryl hydrocarbon receptor” and “hypertension”. Here, AHR is linked to hypertensive disorder.