Weight Gain in the First Week of Life and Overweight in Adulthood

Stettler, Nicolas; Stallings, Virginia A.; Troxel, Andrea B.; Zhao, Jing; Schinnar, Rita; Nelson, Steven E.; Ziegler, Ekhard E.; Strom, Brian L.

doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000161797.67671.a7

Cited by 383 publications

(146 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…In formula-fed infants weight gain in the first 8 d of life was shown to be associated with the risk of being categorised as obese in early adulthood (Stettler et al 2005). Consistent with these data, weight gain in the first 2 weeks of postnatal life in preterm infants was found to be associated with insulin resistance during adolescence (Singhal et al 2003a).…”

Section: Postnatal Growth and Subsequent Body Compositionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Programming of body composition by early growth and nutrition

Wells¹,

Chomtho²,

Fewtrell³

2007

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

394

301

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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.

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Section: Postnatal Growth and Subsequent Body Compositionsupporting

confidence: 60%

Programming of body composition by early growth and nutrition

Wells¹,

Chomtho²,

Fewtrell³

2007

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

394

301

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…There is now increasing evidence that a rapid growth (weight and/or length) in infancy or early childhood can predispose to later risks. 26 It is associated with large subsequent weight gain 17,23,24,54 and a central body fat pattern 23,25 and also with a risk of diabetes, 55 cardiovascular disease 56 and cancer. 57,58 Paradoxically, the proportion of fat in the infant diet is low at a period of high energy needs.…”

Section: Factors Associated With An Early Ar and Increased Fatnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early adiposity rebound: causes and consequences for obesity in children and adults

et al. 2006

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Childhood obesity is an important public health problem, with a rapidly increasing frequency worldwide. Identification of critical periods for the development of childhood and adolescent obesity could be very useful for targeting prevention measures. Weight status in early childhood is a poor predictor of adult adiposity status, and most obese adults were not obese as children. We first proposed to use the body mass index (BMI) charts to monitor individual BMI development. The adiposity rebound (AR) corresponds to the second rise in BMI curve that occurs between ages 5 and 7 years. It is not as direct a measure as BMI at any age, but because it involves the examination of several points during growth, and because it is identified at a time when adiposity level clearly change directions, this method provides information that can help us understand individual changes and the development of health risks. An early AR is associated with an increased risk of overweight. It is inversely associated with bone age, and reflects accelerated growth. The early AR recorded in most obese subjects and the striking difference in the mean age at AR between obese subjects (3 years) and non-obese subjects (6 years) suggest that factors have operated very early in life. The typical pattern associated with an early AR is a low BMI followed by increased BMI level after the rebound. This pattern is recorded in children of recent generations as compared to those of previous generations. This is owing to the trend of a steeper increase of height as compared to weight in the first years of life. This typical BMI pattern (low, followed by high body fatness level) is associated with metabolic diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart diseases. Low body fatness before the AR suggests that an energy deficit had occurred at an early stage of growth. It can be attributable to the high-protein, low-fat diet fed to infants at a time of high energy needs, the former triggering height velocity and the latter decreasing the energy density of the diet and then reducing energy intake. The high-fat, low-protein content of human milk may contribute to its beneficial effects on growth processes. Early (pre-and postnatal) life is a critical period during which environmental factors may programme adaptive mechanisms that will persist in adulthood. Under-nutrition in fetal life or during the first years after birth may programme a thrifty metabolism that will exert adverse effects later in life, especially if the growing child is exposed to overnutrition. These observations stress the importance of an adequate nutritional status in childhood and the necessity to provide nutritional intakes adapted to nutritional needs at various stages of growth. Because the AR reflects particular BMI patterns, it is a useful tool for the paediatrician to monitor the child's adiposity development and for researchers to investigate the different developmental patterns leading to overweight. It contributes to the understanding of chronic disease programming and suggests ne...

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“…This theory was a matter of controversy and has not been pursued. Nevertheless, some recent epidemiological studies have demonstrated a correlation between the rates of weight gain during the first 4 months, 16 even the first week of life, 17 and prevalence of overweight later in life. These findings could renew interest in the 'adipocyte-number hypothesis' and the influence of diet during early life on adipose tissue development.…”

Section: Adipose Tissue Development In Infancymentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary fat and fat types as early determinants of childhood obesity: a reappraisal

et al. 2006

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Background: The growing prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has renewed interest in determining the influence of the maternal and infant diet on the risk of developing excess fat mass later in life. Approach: Review of available human and animal data reporting the effects of dietary fat and fat types early in life on adipose development. Results: Rodent studies tend to show that maternal high-fat feeding during pregnancy and lactation results in increased adiposity of the offspring. Nevertheless, today there is a lack of population-based studies investigating this potential detrimental effect of maternal high-fat intake. Most epidemiological studies, performed so far, do not find any association between the level of dietary fat intake of infants and children and body weight and/or fatness. Regarding fat types exposure to high levels of dietary n-6 fatty acids during gestation and post-natal life, has been shown to promote obesity in mice. Nevertheless, other rodent studies do not demonstrate such an effect. Conclusion: There is no evidence supporting a restriction of fat intake during the first two post-natal years but the potential detrimental effects of maternal high-fat intake during gestation should be further investigated. The role of dietary fat types as early determinants of childhood obesity has so far been poorly studied. Robust evidence to support the adipogenic effects of n-6 fatty acids enriched-diets is currently lacking but this hypothesis is of importance and should be further evaluated in different animal models as well as in longitudinal human studies.

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Weight Gain in the First Week of Life and Overweight in Adulthood

Cited by 383 publications

References 44 publications

Programming of body composition by early growth and nutrition

Programming of body composition by early growth and nutrition

Early adiposity rebound: causes and consequences for obesity in children and adults

Dietary fat and fat types as early determinants of childhood obesity: a reappraisal

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