Early adiposity rebound in childhood and risk of Type 2 diabetes in adult life

Aims/hypothesisType 2 diabetes is associated with a small body size at birth and a high BMI in adult life. The aim of our study was to assess the associations between Type 2 diabetes and birth size, infant growth and age at adiposity rebound.MethodsWe carried out a longitudinal study of 8760 subjects born in Helsinki during 1934 to 1944. On average, they had 18 measurements of height and weight between birth and 12 years of age. In western countries BMI usually decreases after the age of 2 years and rises again at around 6 years—the so-called adiposity rebound. We defined age at adiposity rebound by the age of lowest BMI between one and 12 years. We identified people with Type 2 diabetes using a national register.ResultsA total of 290 individuals developed Type 2 diabetes in adult life. The cumulative incidence of Type 2 diabetes decreased progressively from 8.6% in persons whose adiposity rebound occurred before the age of 5 years to 1.8% in those in whom it occurred after 7 years (p<0.001). Early adiposity rebound was preceded by low weight gain between birth and 1 year (p<0.001).Conclusion/interpretationLarge differences in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes are associated with growth rates in utero, weight gain in infancy and age at adiposity rebound.

[1]  C. Fall,et al.  Insulin resistance syndrome in 8-year-old Indian children: small at birth, big at 8 years, or both? , 1999, Diabetes.

[2]  F Bellisle,et al.  Adiposity rebound in children: a simple indicator for predicting obesity. , 1984, The American journal of clinical nutrition.

[3]  M. Rolland-Cachera,et al.  Tracking the development of adiposity from one month of age to adulthood. , 1987, Annals of human biology.

[4]  Obert,et al.  PREDICTING OBESITY IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD FROM CHILDHOOD AND PARENTAL OBESITY , 2000 .

[5]  Clive Osmond,et al.  The Fetal and Childhood Growth of Persons Who Develop Type 2 Diabetes , 2000, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[6]  C Osmond,et al.  Mother's weight in pregnancy and coronary heart disease in a cohort of finnish men: follow up study , 1997, BMJ.

[7]  A. Fowden,et al.  The role of insulin in prenatal growth. , 1989, Journal of developmental physiology.

[8]  J. Eriksson,et al.  Effects of size at birth and childhood growth on the insulin resistance syndrome in elderly individuals , 2002, Diabetologia.

[9]  Ulrich Heininger,et al.  A Comparative Efficacy Trial in Germany in Infants Who Received Either the Lederle/Takeda Acellular Pertussis Component DTP (DTaP) Vaccine, the Lederle Whole-Cell Component DTP Vaccine, or DT Vaccine , 1998, Pediatrics.

[10]  C Osmond,et al.  Catch-up growth in childhood and death from coronary heart disease: longitudinal study , 1999, BMJ.

[11]  C. Osmond,et al.  Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia (syndrome X): relation to reduced fetal growth , 2004, Diabetologia.

[12]  C Osmond,et al.  Size at birth, childhood growth and obesity in adult life , 2001, International Journal of Obesity.

[13]  P. McKeigue,et al.  Relation of size at birth to non-insulin dependent diabetes and insulin concentrations in men aged 50-60 years , 1996, BMJ.

[14]  J. Eriksson,et al.  Early growth and coronary heart disease in later life: longitudinal study , 2001, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[15]  C Osmond,et al.  Fetal and infant growth and impaired glucose tolerance at age 64. , 1991, BMJ.

[16]  J. Manson,et al.  Birthweight and the Risk for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adult Women , 1999, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[17]  E. Widdowson,et al.  Cellular Development of Some Human Organs Before Birth , 1972, Archives of disease in childhood.

[18]  Robert C. Whitaker,et al.  Early Adiposity Rebound and the Risk of Adult Obesity , 1998, Pediatrics.

[19]  P Royston,et al.  Constructing time-specific reference ranges. , 1991, Statistics in medicine.