Being big or growing fast: systematic review of size and growth in infancy and later obesity

Baird, Janis; Fisher, David J.; Lucas, Patricia J; Kleijnen, Jos; Roberts, Helen; Law, Catherine

doi:10.1136/bmj.38586.411273.e0

Cited by 1,027 publications

(913 citation statements)

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“…Although no previous studies have explicitly investigated the effect of the location of the BMI peak on later levels of BMI, many studies have investigated the relationships between size and/or growth in infancy and later obesity [7][8][9][10] . The majority of studies have quantified infant size and (particularly) growth in terms of weight, which we have not modelled, but some have used BMI.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A systematic review by Baird et al 7 identified 18 studies concerning infant size, 11 of which found that infants who were heavier during infancy or were defined as obese were more likely to develop obesity in childhood, adolescence or adulthood. Several reviews, ranging in size from 10 to 21 studies, have focused on infant growth as an exposure [7][8][9] . The majority of studies in each review found more rapid growth in infancy to be associated with a greater risk of subsequent obesity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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BMI peak in infancy as a predictor for later BMI in the Uppsala Family Study

Silverwood

Stavola

Cole³

et al. 2009

Int J Obes

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Background: The development of obesity through childhood, often characterized by using body mass index (BMI), has received much recent interest because of the rapidly increasing levels of obesity worldwide. However, the extent to which the BMI trajectory in the first year of life (the BMI 'peak' in particular) is associated with BMI in later childhood has received little attention. Subjects: The Uppsala Family Study includes 602 families, comprising mother, father and two consecutive singleton offspring, both of whom were delivered at the Uppsala Academic Hospital, Sweden, between 1987 and 1995. The children's postnatal growth data, including serial measurements of height and weight (from which BMI was calculated), were obtained from health records. All children had a physical examination when they were aged between 5 and 13 years, at which height and weight were again recorded and used to calculate age-and sex-adjusted BMI z-scores. Methods: Subject-specific growth curves were fitted to the infant BMI data using penalized splines with random coefficients, and from these the location of the BMI peak for each participant was estimated. A multilevel modelling approach was used to assess the relationships between the BMI peak and BMI z-score in later childhood. Results: The BMI peak occurred, on average, slightly later in female children, with a higher BMI peak in male children. Considered separately, both age and BMI at BMI peak were positively associated with later BMI z-score. Considered jointly, both dimensions of BMI peak retained their positive associations. Conclusions: The growth trajectory associated with higher childhood BMI appears to include a later and/or higher BMI peak in infancy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

BMI peak in infancy as a predictor for later BMI in the Uppsala Family Study

Silverwood

Stavola

Cole³

et al. 2009

Int J Obes

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“…2 These results are especially alarming as overweight children show a high risk of becoming obese adults. 3,4 Childhood is an important period of life for health interventions as health-related behaviors are just in formation, and it seems possible to intervene for preventing the development of obesity. 5 Thus, it is crucial to further understand the background mechanisms of childhood obesity to find even more effective measures to prevent it before it begins to produce more or less irreversible health damages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The genetic and environmental influences on childhood obesity: a systematic review of twin and adoption studies

et al. 2009

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In this systematic review, we aimed to collect together all previous twin and adoption studies on childhood and adolescent obesity up to the age of 18 years. Using several sources, we identified nine twin and five adoption studies; all of these studies had used relative weight as an indicator of obesity. Except the two twin studies from the Korean population, all studies represented Caucasian populations. In a meta-analysis of these twin studies, we found that genetic factors had a strong effect on the variation of body mass index (BMI) at all ages. The common environmental factors showed a substantial effect in mid-childhood, but this effect disappeared at adolescence. Adoption studies supported the role of family environment in childhood obesity as correlations were found between adoptees and adoptive parents; however, correlations were substantially stronger between parents and their biological offspring, further supporting the importance of genetic factors. In the future, more studies implementing genetic and environmental measures into twin models are needed as they allow estimation of the proportion of total genetic variation explained by candidate genes and analyses of gene-environment interactions. More studies of genetic architecture in non-Caucasian populations, of gene-environment interactions, and of body composition and body fat distribution are needed. IntroductionChildhood obesity is one of the major public health problems in the modern world. In the period [2003][2004][2005][2006], 32% of the US children were classified as obese or overweight, 1 and increasing trends in childhood obesity are seen all over the world. 2 These results are especially alarming as overweight children show a high risk of becoming obese adults. 3,4 Childhood is an important period of life for health interventions as health-related behaviors are just in formation, and it seems possible to intervene for preventing the development of obesity. 5 Thus, it is crucial to further understand the background mechanisms of childhood obesity to find even more effective measures to prevent it before it begins to produce more or less irreversible health damages.Both genetic and environmental factors will probably contribute to childhood obesity. 6 Family studies have shown that obesity runs in families, although more detailed twin, adoption and family studies have shown that genetic differences between individuals explain a major proportion of the within-population variation in body mass index (BMI, kg m À2 ) in adulthood. [7][8][9] It is probable that genetic factors have an important role in childhood obesity also, but their role may be different or they may result from other genes than those that operate in adulthood. 10 The environmental factors shared by family members, such as co-twins in twin studies, have shown only a slight effect on the variation of adult BMI. 7,8 However, they may have a more important role in childhood, where parents and their offspring live together and where siblings obviously have a much greater opportu...

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“…Thus, early nutritional practices have not been backed by rigorous experimental evidence of efficacy and safety, which is expected in other areas of public health; and have the potential to cause harm. For example, 'intuitive' attempts to promote growth in small, growth-retarded newborns could significantly increase later CVD and obesity (3)(4)(5)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) . This lack of a sound evidence-base has prevented changes to nutritional and public health practice in infancy in order to prevent later NCD.…”

Section: Proceedings Of the Nutrition Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, faster weight gain in infancy (upward centile crossing for weight) is associated with a greater risk of later obesity in more than thirty studies (summarised in five systematic reviews, (8)(9)(10)(11)(12) including an individual-level meta-analysis in 47 661 participants from ten cohorts (11) ). This association is seen for the main components of the metabolic syndrome, in breast-fed and formula-fed populations, in high-and low-income countries representing many different ethnic groups (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12) , and is consistent for cohorts during the past 80 years (8) . The association is biologically plausible and experimentally reproducible in several animal models (7) .…”

Section: Proceedings Of the Nutrition Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of infant nutrition in the global epidemic of non-communicable disease

Singhal

2016

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

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Non-communicable diseases (NCD) and atherosclerotic CVD in particular, are the most important health problems of the 21st century. Already in every world region except Africa, NCD account for greater mortality than communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions combined. Although modifiable lifestyle factors in adults are the main determinants, substantial evidence now suggests that factors in early life also have a major role in the development of NCD; commonly referred to as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis. Factors in utero, early postnatal life and throughout childhood, have been shown to affect NCD by influencing risk factors for CVD such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. Infant nutrition (e.g. breastfeeding rather than bottle feeding) and a slower pattern of infant weight gain have been shown to be particularly protective against later risk of obesity and CVD in both low-and high-income countries. The mechanisms involved are poorly understood, but include epigenetic changes; effects on endocrine systems regulating body weight, food intake and fat deposition; and changes in appetite regulation. As a consequence, strategies to optimise early life nutrition could make a major contribution to stemming the current global epidemic of NCD. This review will consider the role of early life factors in the development of NCD, focusing on the impact of infant nutrition/growth on obesity and CVD. The review will highlight the experimental (randomised) evidence where available, briefly summarise the underlying mechanisms involved and consider the implications for public health.

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Being big or growing fast: systematic review of size and growth in infancy and later obesity

Cited by 1,027 publications

References 33 publications

BMI peak in infancy as a predictor for later BMI in the Uppsala Family Study

BMI peak in infancy as a predictor for later BMI in the Uppsala Family Study

The genetic and environmental influences on childhood obesity: a systematic review of twin and adoption studies

The role of infant nutrition in the global epidemic of non-communicable disease

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