Maternal weight and its association with risk of overweight in offspring: a trajectory analysis from a birth cohort in China.

BACKGROUND: Most studies on the association of maternal pregnancy weight with offspring weight trajectory have a short follow-up time. This study aimed to explore the associations of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with childhood weight trajectories in a 7-year birth cohort. METHODS: A total of 946 mother-child pairs (467 boys and 479 girls) from a longitudinal birth cohort in Tianjin City, China, were included in this study, ranging from pregnancy to offspring at 7 years. The outcome variable was defined as overweight or not overweight in offspring at the last round. A group-based trajectory model was applied to identify childhood BMI trajectory groups. RESULTS: Five discrete BMI trajectory groups were identified and characterized as constant underweight (25.2%), constant normal weight (42.8%), and high or increasing trajectory [at risk of overweight (16.9%), progressive overweight (11.0%) and progressive obesity (4.1%)]. Maternal prepregnancy overweight was associated with 1.72 (95% CI 1.14-2.60, P = 0.01) to 4.02 (95% CI 1.94-8.36, P < 0.001) times the risk of all high or increasing trajectory groups, and excessive GWG was related to groups at risk of overweight [relative risk ratio (RRR) 2.09, 95% CI 1.27-3.46, P = 0.004] and progressive obesity (RRR 3.33, 95% CI 1.13-9.79, P = 0.029). Children in all high or increasing trajectory groups were associated with greater overweight risk at the last round [risk ratios (RRs) ranged from 3.54 (95% CI 2.53-4.95, P < 0.001) to 6.18 (95% CI 4.05-9.42, P < 0.001)]. CONCLUSION: Maternal prepregnancy overweight and excessive gestational weight gain were associated with increasing or high-level childhood body mass index trajectories as well as a greater risk of overweight at 7 years.

Effects of rapid growth in early childhood on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases among preschool-aged children.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the tempo of weight gain of children during infancy (from birth up to two years of age) or childhood (between two and five years old) is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular disease. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Cluster sampling was employed to obtain a random sample of preschool children. In total, 1450 children aged five to six years participated in this survey. We obtained data on body weight, height, blood pressure (BP), and serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and uric acid, as well as anthropometry at birth and at age 2. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity at five years old was 14.5%. At five years of age, children with rapid growth (change in body mass index, BMI z-score >0.67) during infancy had a higher odds ratio (OR) of childhood obesity (OR: 2.97 [95% CI: 2.15-4.11]) compared to children with non-rapid growth (change in BMI z-score ≤0.67). Also, children with rapid growth during childhood had a higher OR of childhood obesity (OR: 17.90 [95% CI: 12.31-26.04]), higher systolic BP (OR: 2.38 [95% CI: 1.68-3.39]), higher diastolic BP (OR: 2.42 [95% CI: 1.53-3.83]), and higher triglycerides (OR: 4.09 [95% CI: 1.47-11.33]) or hyperuricemia (OR: 2.23 [95% CI: 1.51-3.29]). CONCLUSIONS: Rapid growth in early childhood is associated with risk factors for both cardiovascular outcomes and metabolic outcomes among preschool children. Developing effective prevention and intervention programs for pre-school children might be important to reduce incidence of long-term metabolic and cardiovascular disease as adults.

Levels of persistent organic pollutants in human milk in two Chinese coastal cities, Tianjin and Yantai: Influence of fish consumption.

In 2006-2007, we collected human milk from 60 and 48 donors in the Chinese coastal cities of Tianjin and Yantai, respectively, in accordance with the WHO/UNEP global milk survey. We determined the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides by GC/MS/MS and dioxins by XDS-CALUX bioassay in the individual milk specimens. The geometric mean concentrations (GMs) of beta-HCH (586.7ng g(-1) fat), total DDTs (855.9ngg(-1) fat), and dl-PCBs (4.4pg CALUX-TEQg(-1) fat) in the milk from Yantai were higher than those from Tianjin (254.4ng g(-1) fat, 654.7ngg(-1) fat, 1.9pg CALUX-TEQ g(-1) fat, respectively). However, the GMs of HCB (41.1ngg(-1) fat) and PCDD/Fs (13.1pg CALUX-TEQg(-1) fat) from Tianjin were higher than those from Yantai (15.7ng g(-1) fat, 9.9pg CALUX-TEQ g(-1) fat). The low ratios of DDT/(DDE+DDD) in milk from both areas suggested that past exposure contributed to the total DDTs body burden. The dl-PCBs body burden in the high sea fish intake group was higher than that in the low intake group, both with and without adjustments for potential influencing factors. For beta-HCH, a marginal P value (P=0.063) was observed between high and low sea fish consumption groups after adjusting for potential influencing factors. Donors in the high freshwater fish group showed higher PCDD/Fs and HCB levels than those in the low intake group, both with and without adjustments. Further monitoring studies of POPs contamination in human milk and foods are needed in China.