Two hypotheses have been put forward to explain the mechanisms
that govern compensatory growth. The first is the ‘central control’
hypothesis, which suggests that the body has a set point for body size
appropriate for a particular age and that this control mechanism resides
in the central nervous system (Wilson and Osbourn, 1960). After a period
of under nutrition, the body tries to attain size that is appropriate for age
in the shortest possible time. The second is the ‘peripheral control’
hypotheses, which suggests that control of body size is determined by the
tissues where cell number or, more accurately, DNA determines the
extent of growth following a period of under nutrition or illness