Maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring overweight : is there a dose–response relationship? An individual patient data meta-analysis

We want to thank the funders of the individual studies: the UK Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust (Grant ref: 102215/2/13/2) and the University of Bristol, the Danish National Research Foundation, Pharmacy Foundation, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation, and the Health Foundation, the US NICHD (contracts no. 1-HD-4-2803 and no. 1-HD-1-3127, R01 HD HD034568), the NHMRC, the CNPq (Portuguese acronym for the National Research Council—grant 523474/96-2) and FAPESP (Portuguese acronym for the São Paulo State Research Council—grant 00/0908-7). We would like to thank the participating families of all studies for the use of data. For the ASPAC study, we want to thank the midwives for their help in recruiting families, and the whole ALSPAC team, which includes interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists, and nurses. This work was supported by the Deutschen Forschungsgesellschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG) [KR 1926/9-1, KU1443/4-1]. Dr. Gilman’s contribution was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Peer reviewedPostprin

Birth size, adult body composition and muscle strength in later life

Objective:Low birth weight has been linked to lower lean body mass and abdominal obesity later in life, whereas high birth weight has been suggested to predict later obesity as indicated by high body mass index (BMI). We examined how birth weight was related to adult body size, body composition and grip strength.Design/subjects:Cross-sectional study on 928 men and 1075 women born in 1934-1944, with measurements at birth recorded.Measurements:Height, weight, waist and hip circumference and isometric grip strength were measured. Lean and fat body mass were estimated by bioelectrical impedance with an eight-polar tactile electrode system.Results:A 1 kg increase in birth weight corresponded in men to a 4.1 kg (95% CI: 3.1, 5.1) and in women to a 2.9 kg (2.1, 3.6) increase in adult lean mass. This association remained significant after adjustment for age, adult body size, physical activity, smoking status, social class and maternal size. Grip strength was positively related to birth weight through its association with lean mass. The positive association of birth weight with adult BMI was explained by its association with lean mass. Low birth weight was related to higher body fat percentage only after adjustment for adult BMI. Abdominal obesity was not predicted by low birth weight.Conclusions:Low birth weight is associated with lower lean mass in adult life and thus contributes to the risk of relative sarcopenia and the related functional inability at the other end of the lifespan. At a given level of adult BMI, low birth weight predicts higher body fat percentage

Childhood growth and future riskof metabolic syndrome in normal-weight men and women

Aim: the aim of this study was to examine the effects of early growth on the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome in normal-weight individuals.Methods: we examined 2003 subjects born in Helsinki, Finland, between 1934 and 1944, focusing on 588 individuals who were normal weight (body mass index [BMI] less than or equal to 25 kg/m2). These subjects had a median of seven measurements of height and weight from birth to 2 years, and eight measurements from 2 to 11 years of age. The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the 2005 criteria of the International Diabetes Federation.Results: individuals with the metabolic syndrome were heavier, had higher mean BMI and higher body fat percentages than those without the syndrome. No differences were seen in body size at birth and at 2 years but, by the age of 7 years, those men who later developed the metabolic syndrome were thinner (P = 0.01). Changes in BMI during infancy were predictive of the syndrome, with an OR of 0.57 (95% CI: 0.36–0.90) per one S.D. increase in BMI from birth to 2 years. In women, these associations paralleled those in men, but did not reach statistical significance.Conclusion: among normal-weight men, those who developed the metabolic syndrome in adulthood had smaller gains in BMI during infancy and were thinner at age 7 years. These results support findings that early growth may play an important role in the development of the metabolic syndrom