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Newborn size, infant and childhood growth, and body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors at the age of 6 years: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study

International Journal of Obesity volume 31, pages 1534–1544 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To study associations of size and body proportions at birth, and growth during infancy and childhood, to body composition and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors at the age of 6 years.

Design:

The Pune Maternal Nutrition Study, a prospective population-based study of maternal nutrition and CVD risk in rural Indian children.

Methods:

Body composition and CVD risk factors measured in 698 children at 6 years were related to body proportions and growth from birth.

Measurements:

Anthropometry was performed every 6 months from birth. At 6 years, fat and lean mass (dual X-ray absorptiometry) and CVD risk factors (insulin resistance, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, plasma lipids) were measured.

Results:

Compared with international references (NCHS, WHO) the children were short, light and thin (mean weight <−1.0 s.d. at all ages). Larger size and faster growth in all body measurements from birth to 6 years predicted higher lean and fat mass at 6 years. Weight and height predicted lean mass more strongly than fat mass, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) predicted them both approximately equally and skinfolds predicted only fat mass. Neither birthweight nor the ‘thin-fat’ newborn phenotype, was related to CVD risk factors. Smaller MUAC at 6 months predicted higher insulin resistance (P<0.001) but larger MUAC at 1 year predicted higher systolic blood pressure (P<0.001). After infancy, higher weight, height, MUAC and skinfolds, and faster growth of all these parameters were associated with increased CVD risk factors.

Conclusions:

Slower muscle growth in infancy may increase insulin resistance but reduce blood pressure. After infancy larger size and faster growth of all body measurements are associated with a more adverse childhood CVD risk factor profile. These rural Indian children are growing below international ‘norms’ for body size and studies are required in other populations to determine the generalizability of the findings.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the community, in particular the children and their families, for taking part in this study. We thank late Dr Mrs Banoo Coyaji, Director of the KEM Hospital, Pune, and initiator 25 years ago, of the rural primary health care programme in the study area. We acknowledge the major contributions made to the study by Dr Kurus Coyaji, Dr Siddhivinayak Hirve, Dr SS Naik, Mr DS Bhat, Ms Anjali Ganpule and Mrs Punam Gupta. The study was funded by the Wellcome Trust, London, UK and the Medical Research Council, UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Diabetes Unit, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Pune, India

    C V Joglekar, V U Deshpande, N Joshi, A Bhalerao, V Solat, T M Deokar, S D Chougule & C S Yajnik

  2. MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK

    C H D Fall & C Osmond

  3. Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    S D Leary

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  1. C V Joglekar
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Correspondence to C V Joglekar.

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Joglekar, C., Fall, C., Deshpande, V. et al. Newborn size, infant and childhood growth, and body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors at the age of 6 years: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study. Int J Obes 31, 1534–1544 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803679

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