Associations of birthweight and infant growth with body composition at age 15--the COMPASS study

Size at birth and postnatal growth have been positively associated with obesity in adulthood. However, associations between postnatal growth and body composition later in life have rarely been studied. The overall purpose was to explore the associations between birthweight, weight gain during first year of life and height, weight, body mass index, fat free mass index (FFMI), fat mass index, % fat mass (FM) and waist circumference in adolescence. The COMPASS study is a population-based study of adolescents from a well-defined area in Stockholm County, Sweden. Birth characteristics and weight during childhood were collected from registers and child health centre records, and body composition at age 15 years was measured by bioelectric impedance by trained nurses. Complete data were available for 2453 adolescents. Associations between predictor and outcome variables were assessed with linear regression modelling. Birthweight was positively associated with all outcome variables, except for %FM among girls. FFMI increased by 0.49 kg/m(2)[95% CI 0.34, 0.63] (boys) and 0.25 kg/m(2)[0.12, 0.38] (girls) per 1 SD increase in birthweight. Increased weight gain in infancy showed strong, positive associations with all measures of body composition. FFMI increased by 0.73 kg/m(2)[0.60, 0.87] (boys) and 0.63 kg/m(2)[0.50, 0.76] (girls) per unit increase in weight z-score during first year of life. The effect of increased weight gain in infancy was not modified by birthweight. Birthweight and postnatal growth were both positively related to body composition in adolescence. Increased weight gain during the first year of life had stronger effect than prenatal growth, suggesting infancy to be a more critical period.     

Associations between birth weight and later body composition: evidence from the 4-component model

BACKGROUND: Higher birth weight is associated with higher body mass index, traditionally interpreted as greater fatness or obesity, in later life. However, its relation with individual body-composition components and fat distribution remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: We investigated associations between birth weight and later fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and fat distribution. DESIGN: Body composition was assessed by the criterion 4-component model in 391 healthy children [mean (+/-SD) age, 11.7 +/- 4.2 y; 188 boys]. FM and FFM were adjusted for height (FMI = FM/height(2); FFMI = FFM/height(2)) and were expressed as SD scores (SDS). Findings were compared between the 4-component and simpler methods. RESULTS: Birth weight was positively associated with height in both sexes and was significantly positively associated with FFMI in boys, equivalent to a 0.18 SDS (95% CI: 0.04, 0.32) increase in FFMI per 1 SDS increase in birth weight. These associations were independent of puberty, physical activity, social class, ethnicity, and parental body mass index. Birth weight was not significantly related to percentage fat, FMI, or trunk FMI in either sex. Equivalent analyses using simpler methods showed a trend for a positive relation between birth weight and FMI in boys that became nonsignificant after adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: FFMI in later life in males is influenced by birth weight, a proxy for prenatal growth, but evidence for fetal programming of later FM or central adiposity is weak. Different body-composition techniques and data interpretation can influence results and should be considered when comparing studies.     

出生前后铅暴露对婴幼儿生长发育的影响

对妊娠 3个月左右的孕妇开始进行追踪观察 ,并随访其子女至 2岁。在此期间分别采集孕妇和婴幼儿的血样做血铅分析。并对孕妇家庭的一般情况及分娩、婴幼儿喂养和发育情况进行调查。分析出生前后铅暴露水平对婴幼儿体格发育的影响。结果显示 :妊娠 9个月血铅和脐带血铅水平与出生后婴幼儿的身长、体重均呈负相关。多元回归分析显示幼儿于 1岁和 2岁时的身长和体重分别与同期血铅水平呈负相关 (P<0 .0 5 )     

Interactions between growth and body composition in children treated with high-dose chronic glucocorticoids

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoid therapy retards growth during childhood and is believed to lead to a Cushingoid body habitus. However, despite prolonged, repeated courses of glucocorticoid, children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) have almost normal adult height. Little information exists on body composition. OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the effect of glucocorticoids on height and body composition by comparing children with SSNS with concurrent healthy reference children. We hypothesized that chronic glucocorticoid therapy leads to obesity, decreased lean mass, and distorted distributions of fat and lean. DESIGN: We performed a cross-sectional study of 52 subjects with SSNS (4-21 y) and 259 reference subjects. The evaluation included height, weight, and pubertal status. Fat and lean masses were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in all subjects. Lifetime glucocorticoid exposure was recorded for subjects with SSNS. Outcomes were expressed as SD scores (SDS). RESULTS: Forty-one percent of subjects with SSNS were obese [body mass index (BMI) > 95th percentile], but regional fat distribution was normal. Mean total lean mass-for-height was 0.43 SD (95% CI: 0.15, 0.72) higher and mean appendicular lean mass-for-total-lean-mass was lower (-0.39 SD; 95% CI: -0.64, -0.14) in SSNS compared with reference children. The mean height-SDS in SSNS was -0.08 SD (95% CI: -0.37, 0.21) relative to national reference data, but height-SDS was significantly decreased given the degree of obesity. Height-SDS was positively associated with BMI-SDS among subjects with SSNS. CONCLUSION: Glucocorticoid therapy for SSNS is complicated by obesity and relatively low appendicular lean mass. Overall height-SDS is normal because of a mitigating effect of elevated BMI on glucocorticoid-induced growth retardation.     

Reversal learning after prenatal or early postnatal alcohol exposure in juvenile and adult rats.

Learning tasks that require the reversal of a previously learned contingency are disrupted in animals and humans exposed to alcohol during the perinatal period. The current experiments examined how varying the time of alcohol exposure and the age at which subjects were tested would affect the expression of reversal deficits in a T-maze task. Groups of rats were exposed to alcohol from gestational day (GD) 8 to GD20 or from postnatal day (PN) 4 to PN9, and then tested in a spatial reversal task at either PN28 or PN63. Results indicate that exposure to alcohol during the prenatal period did not lead to substantial dose-dependent reversal learning deficits in males or females at either age tested. However, exposure to alcohol during the early postnatal period, a period that corresponds to the third trimester in human neural development, selectively disrupted reversal learning performance in male rats at PN28 but not PN63. Statistically significant sex differences were seen when subjects were tested at PN63. These results demonstrate how the timing of alcohol exposure leads to variability in the age-dependent expression of learning deficits associated with fetal alcohol effects.     

Associations between nutrition risk status,body composition and physical performance among community‐dwelling older adults

Objective : To investigate the associations between nutrition risk status, body composition and physical performance among community‐dwelling older New Zealanders. Methods : This cross‐sectional study enrolled 257 community‐dwelling older adults (median age 79 years). Assessments included the Mini Nutritional Assessment‐Short Form (MNA®‐SF) for nutrition risk; the Eating Assessment Tool‐10 for dysphagia risk; bioimpedance analysis for body composition (free fat mass (FFM) and percentage body fat) and gait speed for physical performance. A multiple logistics regression analysis was conducted, to determine factors associated with lower odds [OR (95% CI)] for nutrition risk. Results : Every yearly increase in age was associated with higher odds 1.09 (1.01–1.17) for nutrition risk. Additionally, nutrition risk was less likely to occur among participants of age <85 years 0.30 (0.11–0.79), with no dysphagia 0.29 (0.09–0.97) and those with a healthy gait speed 0.29 (0.09–0.97). Lower odds for nutrition risk were also found with increasing values of FFM index 0.51 (0.34–0.77), and percentage body fat 0.81 (0.72–0.90). Gait speed was positively correlated with FFM index (r=0.19 p<0.022), percentage body fat (r=0.23, p=0.006) and BMI (r=0.29, p<0.001). Conclusion : Among these participants, associations between nutrition risk, body composition and physical performance were found. Implications for public health : Routine screening of nutrition risk and/or physical performance among vulnerable older adults is key towards identifying those in need of assessment and dietary intervention. Alongside strategies to encourage physical activity, this may help to slow losses of FFM and protect physical performance.     

Associations of serum minerals with body mass index in adult women

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study evaluated the association between serum minerals and body mass index in adult women. METHODS: One hundred and eighteen adult women were recruited by written advertisement from outpatient clinics or a health promotion center at a university hospital. Serum calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc were measured by an automatic analytical instrument and body mass index was calculated from height and weight. RESULTS: Serum magnesium was inversely associated with body mass index (beta=-0.283, P=0.001) whereas serum copper had a positive association with body mass index (beta=0.197, P=0.025) after adjusting for age, physical activity, energy intake, dietary fat, alcohol consumption, supplements and menopause status. No associations were found with serum calcium and zinc. CONCLUSION: Serum magnesium and copper may be involved in the regulation of body size in adult women.     

Associations between abdominal adiposity,body size and objectively measured physical activity in infants from Soweto,South Africa

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Considering the importance of the early life period, in conjunction with the increasing prevalence of adiposity and insufficient physical activity already...     

Revisiting the interaction between birth weight and current body size in the foetal origins of adult disease

The four models proposed for exploring the foetal origins of adult disease (FOAD) hypothesis use the product term between size at birth and current size to determine the relative importance of pre- and post-natal growth on disease in later life. This is a common approach for testing the interaction between an exposure (in this instance size at birth) and an effect modifier (in this instance current size)—incorporating the product term obtained by multiplying the exposure and effect modifier variables within a statistical regression model. This study examines the mathematical basis for this approach and uses computer simulations to demonstrate two potential statistical flaws that might generate misleading findings. The first of these is that the expected value of the partial regression coefficient for the product term (between exposure and effect modifier) will be zero when the outcome, exposure and effect modifier are all continuously distributed and follow a multivariate normal distribution. This is because testing the product interaction term amounts to testing for multivariate normality among the three variables, irrespective of the pair-wise correlations amongst them. The second flaw is that it is possible to generate a statistically significant interaction between exposure and effect modifier, even when none exists, simply by categorising either or both of these variables. These flaws pose a serious challenge to the four models approach proposed for exploring the FOAD hypothesis. The interaction between exposure and effect modifier variables should be interpreted with caution both here and elsewhere in epidemiological analyses.     

Programming of body composition by early growth and nutrition

There is now compelling evidence that growth patterns in early life are associated with risk of the metabolic syndrome in adulthood, although the relative importance of prenatal v. postnatal growth for such associations remains controversial. Body composition may play a key role in the 'programming' of such diseases, through itself being programmed by early growth, and perhaps also by being a mediator of the programming process. Early studies reporting positive associations between birth weight and adult BMI suggested a tendency for large babies to become obese adults. Such findings appeared contradictory to the many studies linking low birth weight with increased risk of the metabolic syndrome. Recent studies now indicate that birth weight is strongly predictive of later lean mass, and has a much weaker association with later fatness. Studies that link low birth weight with a more central adipose distribution in later life remain controversial, and require confirmation using more sophisticated methodologies. Findings for infant growth rate appear population-specific, with infant weight gain predicting subsequent lean mass in developing countries, but predicting subsequent fat mass and obesity in industrialised populations. Further studies are required on this issue, to ensure that appropriate public health policies are recommended for countries across the range of economic development. Although the links between early growth and later disease risk implicate early-life nutrition, either in utero or during infancy, few prospective studies have explored the influence of early diet on later body composition. Many studies have associated breast-feeding with a reduced prevalence of obesity categorised by BMI; however, the few studies directly evaluating childhood fatness provide little support for this hypothesis. Recent advances in the ability to measure body composition during the infant period offer a major opportunity to improve the understanding of the nutritional programming of body composition and its contribution, or lack thereof, to subsequent disease risk.     

Birth weight,adult body composition,and subcutaneous fat distribution

OBJECTIVES: To investigate if birth weight is related to both body mass index (BMI) and distribution of subcutaneous fat at adult age. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A 9-year longitudinal study was performed in 229 subjects (192 women) with ages ranging from 27 to 36 years. Birth weight was retrieved by a questionnaire, and adult weight, height, skinfold thicknesses, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were repeatedly measured at mean ages 27, 29, 31, and 36 years. BMI, sum of four skinfolds (S4S), the ratio between two truncal skinfolds and S4S (SS/S4S), and the ratio between WHR and the cross-sectional area of the left thigh were calculated with the available data. RESULTS: The adjusted model showed that in women, birth weight was significantly negatively related to adult S4S [beta = -5.211; (-9.768 to -0.654)], waist circumference [beta = -1.449; (-2.829 to -0.069)], and SS/S4S ratio [beta = -3.579; (-5.296 to -1.862)]. In men, a significant negative association was observed between birth weight and adult WHR [beta = -1.096; (-2.092 to -0.100)] only. Other relationships showed, although not significantly, the same negative trend, namely that lower birth weight is related to higher adult body fat mass (S4S) and a more truncal subcutaneous fat distribution (SS/S4S). No associations were found between birth weight and either adult BMI or the cross-sectional area of the thigh. DISCUSSION: Lower birth weight is, in both adult men and women, related to a higher adult subcutaneous fat mass and a more truncal distribution of subcutaneous fat, indicating a higher risk for obesity.     

Associations between sitting time and weight in young adult Australian women

ObjectiveSedentary behaviour may be a contributor to weight gain in today's young adult women, who are gaining weight faster than women in their mothers' generation. The aim was to examine the relationships between sitting time and weight in young women.MethodData were from women born in 1973–1978 who completed surveys in 2000, 2003 and 2006 for the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Associations between concurrent changes in sitting-time and weight, and prospective associations between these variables, were examined using ANOVA and linear regressions, stratified by BMI-category in 2000 (n = 5562).ResultsAmong overweight and obese women, percentage weight change from 2000 to 2006 was higher in those whose sitting time increased (> 20%) than in those whose sitting time decreased (> 20%) over the same period (p < 0.05). Conversely, percentage change in sitting time was significantly higher in those who gained weight (> 5%) than in those who lost weight (> 5%) (p < 0.05). There were no prospective associations between (change in) sitting time and weight change, or between (change in) weight and change in sitting time.ConclusionThe results confirm associations between concurrent changes in weight and changes in sitting time in overweight and obese women, but no prospective relationships were found.     

Associations between body height, body composition and cholesterol levels in middle-aged men. The coronary risk factor study in southern Sweden (CRISS)

Background: Short body height is associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease; however, mechanisms are not fully explained. In this study, associations between body height and serum cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol) were investigated. Methods: Prospective cohort study of middle-aged men from Helsingborg, Sweden starting 1990. Two birth-year cohorts were invited at 37, 40 and 43 years of age; participation at baseline was 991 (68%). Serum and HDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured. Non-HDL cholesterol, body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. The participants completed a questionnaire covering lifestyle variables. Results: There were statistically significant inverse correlations between body height and serum cholesterol (–0.11) and non-HDL cholesterol (–0.12). One standard deviation, 6.7 cm, taller body height was associated with a lower serum cholesterol (–0.12 mmol/l) and a lower non-HDL cholesterol (–0.13 mmol/l; p < 0.001). These associations remained when adjusted for BMI and WHR. Men with serum cholesterol equal to or above 6.5 mmol/l were significantly shorter (mean 178.71 cm) than men with serum cholesterol below 6.5 mmol/l (mean 179.71 cm). In addition, BMI and WHR were positively associated with serum and non-HDL cholesterol and inversely associated with HDL cholesterol. The change in cholesterol levels over the six-year follow-up was significantly associated to the change in BMI and WHR. Conclusions: Body height had an independent and inverse relation to serum cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol in middle-aged men, and the lipid pattern suggests that the underlying mechanism might be different from the traditional association between lipids and the metabolic syndrome. Although the direct clinical implication is limited, our results may help to explain the association between short height and risk of myocardial infarction.