Association of Nutrition in Early Childhood with Body Composition and Leptin in Later Childhood and Early Adulthood

Objectives: Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), this study aimed to replicate the finding of the Etude Longitudinale Alimentation Nutrition Croissance des Enfants (ELANCE) that low fat intake in early childhood was associated with increased adiposity in adulthood. Methods: Diet was assessed at 8 and 18 months using 3-day food records. Body composition variables were measured at 9 and 17 years, and serum leptin at 9 years. Associations were modelled using adjusted linear regression. Results: In replication analyses, in contrast to ELANCE, there was a positive association between fat intake (% energy) at 18 months and fat mass (FM) at 9 years (B coefficient 0.10 (95% CI 0.03, 0.20) kg, p = 0.005). There was no association with serum leptin. In extended analyses fat intake at 18 months was positively associated with FM in boys (0.2 (0.00, 0.30), p = 0.008) at 9 years but not in girls. Fat intake was positively associated with serum leptin concentration in boys (0.2 (0.1, 0.4) ng/mL, p = 0.011) but not in girls. Conclusions: Our results did not corroborate the findings from the ELANCE study. A high fat diet in early life may have implications for later childhood and adolescent obesity.