Abstract
Objective: To assess in which period during infancy and childhood, growth is most associated with overall and abdominal adiposity in adolescence, and with associated metabolic traits. Furthermore, we aimed to assess if these associations differ dependent on smoking during pregnancy.
Population & methods: We obtained repeated anthropometric measurements from birth to mean age of 16.2 years on 772 girls and 708 boys in a population-based cohort. At age 16.2 years, weight, height, skinfold thicknesses, %BF, waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, insulin, and lipids were measured.
Results: Weight gains between age 2 to 4 and age 4 to 7 years were most strongly associated with higher BMI, sum of skinfolds, %BF and waist circumference at age 16.2 years. Increases were +1.01 to +1.42 SDs per SD in weight gain (all p< 0.001). Increases in risks of being overweight or obese at age 16.2 years (odds ratios) were 23.9 to 32.5 per SD in weight gain (p< 0.001). Gains in these periods were also associated with a less favorable metabolic syndrome score. If mothers smoked during pregnancy, these weight gains were stronger associated with adiposity measurements at age 16.2 years (0.33 - 0.38 SDS higher; all p< 0.05) than if mothers did not smoke during pregnancy.
Conclusions: Strong increases in weight SDS from ages 2 to 7 years predispose to overall and abdominal adiposity and their associated metabolic traits in adolescence. In adolescents whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, associations with weight gain during these years is even more pronounced.
Population & methods: We obtained repeated anthropometric measurements from birth to mean age of 16.2 years on 772 girls and 708 boys in a population-based cohort. At age 16.2 years, weight, height, skinfold thicknesses, %BF, waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, insulin, and lipids were measured.
Results: Weight gains between age 2 to 4 and age 4 to 7 years were most strongly associated with higher BMI, sum of skinfolds, %BF and waist circumference at age 16.2 years. Increases were +1.01 to +1.42 SDs per SD in weight gain (all p< 0.001). Increases in risks of being overweight or obese at age 16.2 years (odds ratios) were 23.9 to 32.5 per SD in weight gain (p< 0.001). Gains in these periods were also associated with a less favorable metabolic syndrome score. If mothers smoked during pregnancy, these weight gains were stronger associated with adiposity measurements at age 16.2 years (0.33 - 0.38 SDS higher; all p< 0.05) than if mothers did not smoke during pregnancy.
Conclusions: Strong increases in weight SDS from ages 2 to 7 years predispose to overall and abdominal adiposity and their associated metabolic traits in adolescence. In adolescents whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, associations with weight gain during these years is even more pronounced.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - 2010 |