Both early and late maternal age at childbirth is associated with increasing odds of central obesity in offspring

OBJECTIVE

Despite studies on offspring obesity and delayed parenthood, little attention has been paid to the central obesity of offspring. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that maternal age at childbirth (MAC) was associated with central obesity in offspring among the adult population, and fasting insulin may play a role in this association as a mediating factor.

METHODS

A total of 423 adults (mean age 37.9 years, 37.1% female) were included. Information about maternal variables and other confounders was collected by face-to-face interview. Waist circumference and insulin were determined through physical measurements and biochemical examinations. Logistic regression model and restricted cubic spline model were used to analyze the relationship between MAC and central obesity of offspring. The mediating effect of fasting insulin levels on association between MAC and offspring waist circumference was also analyzed.

RESULTS

There was a nonlinear relationship between MAC and central obesity in offspring. Compared with subjects with MAC 27-32 years, those with MAC 21-26 years (OR = 1.814, 95% CI: 1.129-2.915) and MAC ≥33 years (OR = 3.337, 95% CI: 1.638-6.798) had higher odds to develop central obesity. Offspring fasting insulin was also higher in MAC 21-26 years and MAC ≥33 years compared with those with MAC 27-32 years. Taking the group MAC 27-32 years as reference, the mediating effect of fasting insulin levels on the waist circumference was 20.6% and 12.4% for MAC 21-26 years and ≥ 33 years, respectively.

CONCLUSION

MAC 27-32 years has the lowest odds of central obesity in offspring. Fasting insulin levels may have a partial mediating effect on the association between MAC and central obesity.

Do parental risk factors for type 2 diabetes predict offspring risk of overweight and obesity? The Feel4Diabetes study

OBJECTIVES

The prevention of children being overweight/obese is of utmost importance. Parental characteristics play a pivotal role in shaping offspring weight status. This study aimed to examine associations between parental obesity and children's overweight/obesity status, and whether other parental type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk factors can predict children's obesity status.

METHODS

Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted, using cross-sectional data from a European cohort of 20 151 adults (10 967 mothers; 9184 fathers) and children (n = 10 967) participating in the Feel4Diabetes study. Anthropometric measurements were conducted in children, and overweight/obesity was defined according to the International Obesity Task Force criteria. Parents' T2D risk was assessed applying the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC).

RESULTS

After adjusting for all other FINDRISC variables, region and maternal/parental education, maternal (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.18-3.20) and parental (aOR: 3.21; 95% CI, 2.65-3.91) obesity, maternal (aOR: 1.46; 95% CI, 1.23-1.74) and parental (aOR: 1.59; 95% CI, 1.32-1.92) high waist circumference, as well as maternal (aOR: 1.60; 95% CI, 1.27-2.01) and parental (aOR: 1.87; 95% CI, 1.58-2.21) high FINDRISC score, were associated with child overweight/obesity status. Maternal (area under the curve- ROC: 0.638; 95% CI, 0.628-0.647) and paternal body mass index (BMI; area under the curve-ROC: 0.632; 95% CI, 0.622-0.642) were the most accurate in predicting child overweight/obesity status.

CONCLUSIONS

Among parental risk factors for T2D, maternal/parental overweight/obesity status, central obesity, and high FINDRISC score were the main predictors of childhood overweight/obesity status, with BMI the most accurate. Maternal or paternal BMI is simple to use, and might be useful for the early identification of children at risk of being overweight/obese rather than other T2D factors.

Secular trends and sociodemographic determinants of thinness, overweight and obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 7-18 years from 2010 to 2018

Background

Most studies have focused on overweight/obesity and its secular trend, with insufficient studies on the factors influencing thinness and trends recently. To examine the trends of prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of thinness, overweight, and obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years from 2010 to 2018.

Methods

This study was based on cross-sectional data of 11,234 children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2010, 2014, and 2018, including anthropometric and sociodemographic characteristics variables. The nutritional status of each individual was determined according to China and WHO criteria. The demographic characteristics of different subgroups were tested by chi-square, and log-binomial regression was used to analyze the trend of prevalence and the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and different nutritional statuses.

Results

After adjusting for age, from 2010 to 2018, the overall prevalence of thinness decreased, and the prevalence of overweight increased in Chinese children and adolescents. The overall prevalence of obesity declined in boys and increased in girls, but in adolescents aged 16-18 years, it increased significantly. Log-binomial regression analysis showed that among all subjects, time (years), 16-18 years were negatively associated with thinness, while 13-15 years, walking to school, large family size, and paternal age at childbirth older than 30 years old were positively associated with thinness; 10-12/13-15/16-18 years, boarding at school, medium and large family sizes, and mother's education at junior middle school/junior high school and above were negatively associated with overweight/obesity, while time (years), boys were positively associated with overweight/obesity in the multivariate model by adjusting for the statistically significant factors (all p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Chinese children and adolescents are facing a double burden of malnutrition. Future public health policies and interventions should prioritize high-risk groups specifically young age groups, boys, larger family sizes and so on.

Childhood exposure to parental smoking and life-course overweight and central obesity

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between childhood parental smoking exposure and the risk of overweight/obesity from childhood to adulthood.

METHODS

This study leverages the data from two longitudinal population based cohort studies, the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study between years 1980-2011/2012 (YFS; N = 2,303; baseline age 3-18 years) and the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project between years 1989-2009/2010 (STRIP; N = 632; baseline age 7 months). Weight, height and waist circumference were measured from childhood to adulthood. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 in adults and using the Cole criteria in children. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference > 100/90 cm in men/women and as a waist-to-height ratio > 0.50 in children. Statistical analyses were adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, birth weight, parental ages, diet and physical activity.

RESULTS

Childhood parental smoking exposure was associated with increased risk for life-course overweight/obesity (YFS: RR1.13, 95%CI 1.02-1.24; STRIP: RR1.57, 95%CI 1.10-2.26) and central obesity (YFS: RR1.18, 95%CI 1.01-1.38; STRIP: RR1.45, 95%CI 0.98-2.15).

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood exposure to parental smoking is associated with increased risk of overweight/obesity over the life-course. KEY MESSAGES Exposure to parental smoking in childhood was associated with increased risk of overweight/obesity, central obesity and adiposity measured by skinfold thickness from childhood to adulthood.

Pre-Birth and Early-Life Factors Associated With the Timing of Adiposity Peak and Rebound: A Large Population-Based Longitudinal Study

Background: The late occurrence of adiposity peak (AP) and the early occurrence of adiposity rebound (AR) are considered the earliest indicators for obesity and its related health conditions later in life. However, there is still limited information for their upstream factors. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify the parental and child factors associated with the timing of AP and AR in the early stage of life. Methods: This is a population-based longitudinal study conducted in Shanghai, China. The BMI data of children born between September 2010 and October 2013 were followed from birth to 80 months. Subject-specific body mass index trajectories were fitted by non-linear mixed-effect models with natural cubic spline functions, and the individual's age at AP and AR was estimated. The generalized linear regression models were applied to identify the upstream factors of late occurrence of AP and early occurrence AR. Results: For 7,292 children with estimated AP, boys were less likely to have a late AP [adjusted risk ratio (RR) = 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77-0.90, p < 0.001], but preterm born children had a higher risk of a late AP (adjusted RR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.07-1.47, p < 0.01). For 10,985 children with estimated AR, children with breastfeeding longer than 4 months were less likely to have an early AR (adjusted RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.73-0.87, p < 0.001), but children who were born to advanced-age mothers and who were born small for gestational age had a higher risk of having an early AR (adjusted RR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.36, p < 0.01; adjusted RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.04-1.39, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Modifiable pre-birth or early-life factors associated with the timing of AP or AR were found. Our findings may help develop prevention and intervention strategies at the earliest stage of life to control later obesity and the health conditions and diseases linked to it.

Relationship Between Plasma Copper Concentration and Body Fat Distribution in Children in China: a Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to explore the association of the plasma copper concentration with body fat distribution and the potential mediating effect of inflammation status in children. A total of 454 children were recruited in this study. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was applied to measure the fat mass (FM) and fat mass percentages (FM%) at whole body, trunk, appendicular, android, and gynoid regions. Android to gynoid fat mass ratio and fat mass to lean mass (FM/LM) ratio at whole body, trunk, and appendicular sites were calculated. Plasma copper concentration was measured via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. C-reactive protein (CRP) was determined by ELISA. After adjusting for covariates, multiple linear regression analyses showed that, for every additional unit increase in the plasma copper concentration, the FM, FM%, and FM/LM at whole body and subregions increased by 0.030-0.472 kg (P < 0.001-0.019), 0.013-1.04% (P = 0.007-0.042), and 0.021-0.030 (P < 0.001), respectively. Mediating analysis suggested that CRP significantly mediated 22.0-30.6% (P < 0.001) of the estimated association of copper with FM% and FM/LM at whole body and limbs. Thus, children with higher plasma levels of copper tended to have a higher regional and overall body fat deposition, and this relationship was partly mediated by inflammatory status.

The associations of the gut microbiome composition and short-chain fatty acid concentrations with body fat distribution in children

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Previous studies linking the gut microbiome with childhood obesity largely used the body mass index to measure obesity and reached inconsistent findings. Little evidence has linked the gut microbiome to regional body fat deposition. We investigated whether the abundance of specific taxa in the gut microbiota and the concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were associated with the content and regional deposition of body fat in children.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 236 children aged 6-9 years. The fat mass contents/percentages in the total body and the android, gynoid, and limb regions were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and the android-to-gynoid fat mass ratio and fat-to-lean mass ratios were calculated. Fecal samples were subjected to16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and the fecal SCFA concentrations were quantified via high-performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTS

A weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified seven modules of co-expressed operational taxonomic units (OTUs). A total of 57 OTUs from 4 key modules were selected for further analysis. After adjustment of covariates and controlling for the false discovery rate (FDR), a multiple linear regression analysis revealed significant correlations of the abundances of some OTUs with obesity and body fat measures. For instance, the OTUs classified to the species Ruminococcus gnavus and Flavonifractor plautii showed significant negative correlations with the total and regional body fat (β: -0.250 to -0.180, P_FDR: 0.041-0.049), whereas OTUs belonging to the genera Blautia and Romboutsia exhibited positive correlations with body fat measures (β: 0.184-0.222, P_FDR: 0.041-0.049). The fecal concentrations of acetic, propionic, and butyric acids and total SCFAs were significantly positively correlated with various parameters of body fat distribution (β: 0.160-0.275, P_FDR: <0.001-0.042).

CONCLUSION

The gut microbiome and SCFAs are significantly associated with obesity and body fat distribution in pediatric population.