ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesise that post-term birth (>42 weeks gestation) adversely affects longitudinal growth and weight gain throughout childhood. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 525 children (including 17 boys and 20 girls born post-term) were followed from birth to age 16 years. Weight and height were recorded prospectively throughout childhood, and respective velocities from birth to end of puberty were calculated using a mathematical model. RESULTS: At birth, post-term girls were slimmer than term girls (ponderal index, 27.7 ± 2.6 kg/m(3) vs 26.3 ± 2.8 kg/m(3); P<.05). At age 16 years, post-term boys were 11.8 kg heavier than term subjects (body mass index [BMI], 25.4 ± 5.5 kg/m(2) vs 21.7 ± 3.1 kg/m(2); P<.01). The rate of obesity was 29% in post-term boys and 7% in term boys (P<.01), and the combined rate of overweight and obesity was 47% in post-term boys and 13% in term boys (P<.01). Weight velocity, but not height velocity, was higher in post-term boys at age 1.5-7 years (P<.05) and again at age 11.5-16 years (P<.05). BMI was higher in post-term boys at age 3 years, with the difference increasing thereafter. BMI and growth were similar in post-term and term girls. CONCLUSION: In this post-term birth cohort, boys, but not girls, demonstrated accelerated weight gain during childhood, leading to greater risk of obesity in adolescence.
Subject(s)
Birth Weight , Child Development/physiology , Obesity/epidemiology , Weight Gain , Adolescent , Age Distribution , Body Height , Body Mass Index , Child , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Incidence , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Postmature , Male , New Zealand/epidemiology , Obesity/diagnosis , Reference Values , Risk Assessment , Sex DistributionABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) are of increased risk of reduced fat body mass (FBM) and lean body mass (LBM). Serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)and leptin could be markers of LBM and/or FBM depletion. To evaluate the relationships between disease activity, body composition, IGF-1 and leptin concentrations in CF children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 26 CF children aged 5.0-15.5 years and 33 healthy controls, mean age 9.4 years. Body composition was evaluated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for leptin, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3. RESULTS: FBM standard deviation score (SDS; CF boys -0.02 +/- 0.88 vs. 0.78 +/- 0.65, p < 0.01; CF girls -0.37 +/- 1.15 vs. 0.70 +/- 0.97, p < 0.05), leptin concentration (CF boys 2.07 +/- 0.79 vs. 3.07 +/- 1.28 ng/ml, p < 0.05; CF girls 2.71 +/- 0.86 vs. 5.00 +/- 2.95 ng/ml, p < 0.05) and IGF-1SDS (CF boys -1.43 +/- 1.50 vs. -0.32 +/- 0.88, p < 0.05; CF girls -0.66 +/- 1.66 vs. 0.64 +/- 0.57, p < 0.01) were lower in CF children compared to controls. Shwachman score was the strongest predictor of lean body mass (R = 0.63). Leptin levels explain 60% of the variability in FBM. CONCLUSION: Serum concentrations of IGF-1 and leptin are decreased in children with CF and are associated with clinical conditions and body composition.
Subject(s)
Body Composition , Cystic Fibrosis/blood , Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/analysis , Leptin/blood , Adipose Tissue/anatomy & histology , Adolescent , Biomarkers/blood , Child , Child Development , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Inflammation/blood , MaleABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze growth hormone (GH) concentrations in obese women before and after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) and how resulting changes in weight, fat mass, ghrelin levels, and insulin sensitivity affect GH secretion. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Blood was sampled at 20-minute intervals for 24 hours in 10 non-diabetic premenopausal severely obese women before and 6 months after RYGBP. GH concentrations were measured in all samples, and serum ghrelin was collected at five time-points. RESULTS: After a 27% BMI drop (55.9 +/- 6.2 to 40.7 +/- 5.8 kg/m2), blunted GH profiles underwent partial recovery. Basal, postprandial, and mean ghrelin concentrations were not changed. A negative correlation was found between mean GH levels and insulin and homeostasis model assessment (p < 0.01). BMI accounted for 54% of GH variation. DISCUSSION: Partial recovery of GH secretion after RYGBP-induced weight loss suggests that a blunted secretion is not a causal factor of obesity but a consequence of the obese state and does not seem to be ghrelin-level dependent.