Early growth and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adulthood-the NAFLD liver fat score and equation applied on the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study.

Introduction: prenatal and childhood growth influence the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Both conditions are associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our aim was to explore the associations between early growth and adult NAFLD.Methods: we studied 1587 individuals from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (HBCS) born 1934–44 for whom birth, childhood, and adult clinical data were available. NAFLD was defined using the NAFLD liver fat score and equation. The score was converted into a dichotomous variable, with outcomes defined as either a positive or negative score. The equation predicts liver fat percentage.Results: a positive score was found in 43% of men and 22.5% of women. Several measurements of birth and childhood body size were negatively associated with both NAFLD outcomes after adjustment for adult BMI. Those from the smallest BMI tertile at age 2 who were obese in adulthood had an OR of 18.5 for a positive score compared to those from the same group who were normal weight in adulthood.Conclusions: a larger childhood body size was negatively associated with NAFLD outcomes. Individuals who are small during early childhood and obese as adults seem to be at the highest risk of developing NAFLD<br/

Birth-weight and resting metabolic rate in adulthood, sex-specific differences

Introduction. Low birth-weight is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adulthood. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) has been suggested to be associated with the development of obesity as well as MetS and might be an indirect indicator of sympathetic activity. This study's aim was to examine the association between birth-weight and adult RMR.Methods. A total of 896 men and women from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study born 1934–44, for whom a detailed set of birth records were available, underwent measurement of body composition and RMR in adulthood.Results. Among women, birth-weight adjusted for age and fat-free mass (FFM) was inversely associated with RMR (r = ?0.12; P &lt; 0.01). For men, a u-shaped relationship was observed, both independently and after adjustment for age, fat mass, and FFM (P = 0.05 for final model).Discussion. The sex-specific differences for the association between birth-weight and adult RMR might partly be explained by differences in the developmental programming of the sympathetic nervous system between men and women. The higher adjusted RMR among those with the lowest birth-weights is consistent with previous evidence of higher sympathetic drive among these individuals.<br/