[Low birth weight and obesity: causal or casual association?]

Placental and Neonatal Serum Leptin Levels in Premature Infants After Phototherapy: Are They Determining Factors for the Safe Indication of Passive Exercises?

Purpose

To analyze leptin levels in placental tissue and premature infants undergoing phototherapy and to evaluate the potential for prescribing passive exercise after phototherapy in this population.

Patients and Methods

This analytical, longitudinal, prospective cohort study included 108 parturients and their respective premature infants. Variables examined included weight, gestational age, body mass index, sex, serum leptin levels in placental tissue, serum bilirubin levels, and reticulocyte count.

Results

When comparing each group to a leptin threshold, statistically significant differences were observed at all evaluated time points for placental leptin levels (p < 0.001). Additionally, reticulocyte count decreased in relation to rebound time (p < 0.004). No correlations were found between leptin/bilirubin levels, leptin/reticulocytes, onset of nutrition, and BMI/leptin levels.

Conclusion

The findings regarding leptin levels suggest that prescribing passive exercises to premature infants undergoing phototherapy may be feasible because this intervention did not increase leptin levels.

Psychiatric disorders in term-born children with marginally low birth weight: a population-based study

BACKGROUND

Marginally low birth weight (MLBW) is defined as a birth weight of 2000 ~ 2499 g. Inconsistent findings have been reported on whether children with low birth weight had higher rates of neurological, attention, or cognitive symptoms. No studies have explored the occurrence of clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorders in term- born MLBW infants. We aimed to investigate the risk of subsequent psychiatric disorders in term-born children with MLBW.

METHODS

This is a nationwide retrospective cohort study, by analysing the data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 2008 to 2018. The study population includes propensity-score-matched term-born infants with MLBW and those without MLBW (birth weight ≥ 2500 g). Cox proportional hazard analysis was used after adjustment for potential demographic and perinatal comorbidity confounders. Incidence rates and hazard ratios (HR) of 11 psychiatric clinical diagnoses were evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 53,276 term-born MLBW infants and 1,323,930 term-born infants without MLBW were included in the study. After propensity score matching for demographic variables and perinatal comorbidities, we determined that the term-born MLBW infants (n = 50,060) were more likely to have attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (HR = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.20, 1.33]), autism spectrum disorder (HR = 1.26, 95% CI [1.14, 1.40]), conduct disorder (HR = 1.25, 95% CI [1.03, 1.51]), emotional disturbance (HR: = 1.13, 95% CI [1.02, 1.26]), or specific developmental delays (HR = 1.38, 95% CI [1.33, 1.43]) than term-born infants without MLBW (n = 50,060).

CONCLUSION

MLBW was significantly associated with the risk of subsequent psychiatric disorder development among term-born infants. The study findings demonstrate that further attention to mental health and neurodevelopment issues may be necessary in term-born children with MLBW. However, possibilities of misclassification in exposures or outcomes, and risks of residual and unmeasured confounding should be concerned when interpreting our data.

Comparative Analysis of the GH/IGF-1 Axis during the First Sixth Months in Children with Low Birth Weight

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the relation between alterations in the growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) axis during the first 6 months of life and weight in children born in the lower-middle São Francisco region.

METHODS

This is an analytical cohort and exploratory. Thirty children, were formed two groups, one of low birth weight children (LBW, n = 15) and another of normal weight (NBW = 15) were initially identified in a hospital and reapproached at 3 and 6 months of age. Birth weight and alterations in GH/IGF-1 curves were measured at birth and the third and sixth months of life.

RESULTS

Weight gain during the 6 months of follow-up in newborns with a low birth weight was greater compared to newborns with a normal birth weight. All children who were born with a low birth weight had an altered GH/IGF-1 curve at birth (p = 0.002). Most newborns with a low birth weight maintained the alteration in the GH/IGF-1 curve at the third month of life (p = 0.027). Regarding the GH/IGF-1 curve at the sixth month, alteration persisted in greater proportion among children with a low birth weight.

CONCLUSIONS

Alterations in insulin resistance markers, demonstrated by increased GH without a proportional increase in IGF-1, were observed to be significant in children with a low birth weight with greater adiposity in this group which may increase the risk of metabolic diseases in later life.

Cardiometabolic Effects of Postnatal High-Fat Diet Consumption in Offspring Exposed to Maternal Protein Restriction In Utero

In recent decades, the high incidence of infectious and parasitic diseases has been replaced by a high prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases. Concomitantly, there have been profound changes in the behavior and eating habits of families around the world, characterizing a “nutritional transition” phenomenon, which refers to a shift in diet in response to modernization, urbanization, or economic development from undernutrition to the excessive consumption of hypercaloric and ultra-processed foods. Protein malnutrition that was a health problem in the first half of the 20th century has now been replaced by high-fat diets, especially diets high in saturated fat, predisposing consumers to overweight and obesity. This panorama points us to the alarming coexistence of both malnutrition and obesity in the same population. In this way, individuals whose mothers were undernourished early in pregnancy and then exposed to postnatal hyperlipidic nutrition have increased risk factors for developing metabolic dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. Thus, our major aim was to review the cardiometabolic effects resulting from postnatal hyperlipidic diets in protein-restricted subjects, as well as to examine the epigenetic repercussions occasioned by the nutritional transition.

Associations between biological and behavioral factors in early life and food consumption in Brazilian adolescents: Results from the ERICA study

The aim of the present study was to determine associations between biological and behavioral factors in early life and food consumption in Brazilian adolescents. The sample was composed of 36,956 adolescents (12-17 years of age) who participated in the "Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents". Sociodemographic, biological, and behavioral variables were collected using questionnaires self-administered by the adolescents. Early-life factors were assessed using a questionnaire administered to the parents/guardians of the adolescents. Dependent variables related to food consumption (total energy intake and percentages of macronutrient intake [carbohydrates, lipids and proteins]) were measured using the 24-hour recall method and compared to dietary reference intakes. Data analysis was performed with the aid of STATA 14.0, using multiple linear regression analysis with respective β coefficients. The level of significance was set at 5% (p ≤ 0.05). Adolescents born with low weight had lower energy intake (-94.8 kcal, 95%CI: -177.2; -12.3, p = 0.024) and 1.25% higher carbohydrate intake (95%CI: 0.15; 2.34, p = 0.025) compared to those born with adequate weight. Those who received exclusive breast breastfeeding for three to six months ingested 1.32% more lipids than those who received exclusive breast breastfeeding for less than three months (95%CI: 0.37; 2.26, p = 0.006). In conclusion, low birth weight was associated with lower energy intake and a higher percentage of carbohydrate intake, whereas breastfeeding three to six months was associated with a higher percentage of lipid intake.

Bariatric surgery induces morphological changes in the extensor digitorum longus muscle in the offspring of obese rats

INTRODUCTION

The effects of the maternal nutritional environment on the growth and metabolism of the offspring, and its impacts on health in adult life are defined as metabolic programming. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on the morphology of muscle fiber and neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of the offspring of rats submitted to RYGB.

METHODS

Three-week-old Wistar rats were separated into two groups: 1) CAF SHAM which received a cafeteria diet and was submitted to a sham operation and 2) CAF RYGB, which received a cafeteria diet and was submitted to RYGB. The first generation (F1) offspring (male) was named according to the treatment of mothers as CAF SHAM-F1 and CAF RYGB-F1 and received a standard diet after weaning. At 17 weeks, the animals were euthanized, and the extensor digitorum longus muscle (EDL) was collected and processed in light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy for morphological and morphometric analysis.

RESULTS

The CAF RYGB-F1 group showed a reduction in the weight of the EDL muscle and also a reduction in the area of type I, IIa and IIb fibers and a nucleus/fiber ratio. This same group also showed an increase in the capillary density and myofibrillar disorganization and in the Z-line, as well as a reduction in the area of the NMJs.

CONCLUSION

The RYGB surgery in mothers produced morphological changes in the skeletal striated muscles of the offspring.

Perfil antropométrico e metabólico de adolescentes nascidos prematuros em município do Oeste do Paraná

RESUMO Objetivo Relacionar o grau de prematuridade e adequação de peso ao nascer ao perfil lipídico, glicêmico, pressórico e antropométrico de adolescentes nascidos prematuros. Métodos Estudo transversal. Amostra com 50 adolescentes nascidos prematuros – idade gestacional menor que 37 semanas – classificados com base na idade gestacional e peso ao nascer: Adequado para Idade Gestacional (AIG), Pequeno para Idade Gestacional (PIG) e Grande para Idade Gestacional (GIG). Avaliaram-se medidas antropométricas; Pressão Arterial (PA); glicose, Colesterol Total (CT), Triglicerídeos (TG), coletados por punção digital. Análise por estatística descritiva, teste de associação exato de Fisher e análise de variância (ANOVA), considerando 5% de significância. Resultados 8% apresentaram Síndrome Metabólica (SM). 70% foram classificados como AIG, 30% apresentaram excesso de peso. 6% nasceu prematuro extremo e muito prematuro (14%). O grau de prematuridade associou-se significativamente a PA (p=0,027) e mostrou tendência à associação com o TG (p=0,05). Conclusão e implicações para a prática Os níveis pressóricos são influenciados pelo grau de prematuridade; foi evidenciado tendência a TG aumentados. Prematuros têm maior vulnerabilidade para desenvolver SM, alterações pressóricas e possíveis alterações na homeostase glicêmica devido à alteração de TG, indicando a necessidade de seguimento na infância e adolescência atentando ao seu maior risco para doenças cardiovasculares.

Relationship between Children's Birth Weight and Birth Length and a Risk of Overweight and Obesity in 4-15-Year-Old Children

Background and Objectives. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between children's birth weight/length and a risk of overweight and obesity. Materials and Methods. The study involved 747 children from kindergartens, as well as primary and middle schools from southeastern Poland. All the subjects were examined on fasting status. Each child was examined for body mass and height, in order to calculate their body mass index (BMI), and BMI centile. The parents completed a questionnaire related to basic information about the child and the family. Results. In the study group, the male infants presented greater birth body weight and birth body length. A comparison of the distribution of birth weights and lengths between the children with normal BMI and with high BMI showed statistically significant differences only in the case of birth length of 12-15-year-old children and in the group of boys aged 12-15 years. In the case of the female children and the group of 7-11-year-olds a statistically significant difference was found in the BMI centile at a later age-a higher centile was found in the girls and in the children aged 7-11 years classified as adequate for gestational age (AGA). Conclusions. Birth body weight is positively related to BMI centile; however, no significant differences were found in birth weight between children with overweight/obesity and children with normal body weight. Birth length is associated with a lower BMI centile only in boys aged 12-15 years, and lower birth length is found in boys with overweight and obesity.

Maternal and early-life area-level characteristics and childhood adiposity: A systematic review

There is a cross-sectional evidence that physical and social environments are linked to childhood adiposity. Evidence is scarce for the role of preconception, pregnancy, and early-life area-level characteristics in shaping childhood adiposity. We aimed to systematically review evidence for associations between physical and social environmental conditions experienced in these periods and childhood adiposity. Published literature was identified from the CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases. Longitudinal studies linking an area-level environmental exposure in the preconception, pregnancy, or early-life (less than 1 year) periods and a measure of adiposity between the ages of 2 and 12 years were examined. Eight studies in the United States, Denmark, South Korea, United Kingdom, and Canada satisfied the inclusion criteria. Storm-induced maternal stress, nitrogen oxides exposure, traffic noise, and proximity were associated with greater childhood adiposity. Frequent neighbourhood disturbances were associated with lower adiposity, while particulate matter exposure was associated with both higher and lower adiposity in childhood. Area-level characteristics may play a role in the ongoing obesity epidemic. There is a limited evidence of longitudinal associations between preconception, pregnancy, and early-life area-level characteristics with childhood adiposity. Numerous factors that appear important in cross-sectional research have yet to be assessed longitudinally, both individually and in combination.

Influence of Fetal and Maternal Genetic Susceptibility to Obesity on Birthweight in African Ancestry Populations

Fetal and maternal genetic propensity to obesity can influence birthweight. We investigated the effects of fetal and maternal genetic risk of obesity on birthweight and evaluated whether these genetic influences modify the well-known association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and birthweight. In 950 mother-baby pairs of African ancestry, a genetic risk score for adulthood obesity was generated for mothers (mGRS) and their babies (bGRS) as the weighted sum of BMI-increasing alleles of 97 single nucleotide polymorphisms known to be associated with BMI. The median GRS value was used as a cut-off to define high or low bGRS and mGRS. High bGRS was significantly associated with 70 g lower birthweight (95% Confidence Interval [CI] = −127.4 to −12.4) compared to low bGRS. mGRS was positively correlated with birthweight but the association was not significant. mGRS modified the significant birthweight-increasing effect of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (P-for-interaction = 0.03); among mothers with low mGRS, those who were overweight or obese had 127.7 g heavier babies (95% CI = 27.1 to 228.2) compared to those who had normal weight. In summary, fetal obesity genetic risk loci exert direct influence on birthweight, and maternal loci modify the effect of pre-pregnancy BMI on birthweight.

A long-term maternal diet intervention is necessary to avoid the obesogenic effect of maternal high-fat diet in the offspring

Although a pre-pregnancy dietary intervention is believed to be able to prevent offspring obesity, research evidence is absent. We hypothesize that a long period of pre-pregnancy maternal diet transition from a high-fat (HF) diet to a normal-fat (NF) diet effectively prevents offspring obesity, and this preventive effect is independent of maternal body weight change. In our study, female mice were either continued on an NF diet (NF group) or an HF diet (HF group) until weaning, or switched from an HF to an NF for 1 week (H1N group), 5 weeks (H5N group) or 9 weeks (H9N group) before pregnancy. After weaning, the offspring were given the HF diet for 12 weeks to promote obesity. The mothers, regardless of which group, did not display maternal body weight change and glucose intolerance either before pregnancy or after weaning. Compared to the HF group, the H1N and H5N, but not the H9N, offspring developed glucose intolerance earlier, with more severely imbalanced glucose homeostasis. These offspring also displayed hepatocyte degeneration and significant adipocyte hypertrophy associated with higher expression of lipogenesis genes. The molecular mechanistic study showed blunted insulin signaling, overactivated adipocyte Akt signaling and hepatic AMPK signaling with enhanced lipogenesis genes in the H1N and H5N versus the NF offspring. However, maternal H9N diets normalized glucose and lipid metabolism of the offspring via resensitized insulin signaling and normalized Akt and AMPK signaling. In summary, we showed that a long-term maternal diet intervention effectively released the intergenerational obesogenic effect of maternal HF diet independent of maternal weight management.

Estado nutricional materno e sua associação com o peso ao nascer em gestações de alto risco

Resumo O estado clínico e o nutricional da gestante representam importantes variáveis para o risco de inadequações de peso ao nascer. Assim, o presente estudo visou avaliar o estado nutricional de gestantes de alto risco e sua associação com o peso ao nascer de seus conceptos. Estudo transversal com gestantes de alto risco assistidas no Hospital Universitário de Maceió-AL e seus recém-nascidos. O estado nutricional das gestantes e de seus conceptos foi avaliado segundo o Índice de Massa Corporal para a idade gestacional e o peso ao nascer, respectivamente. A associação entre fatores maternos (comorbidades e estado nutricional) e o peso ao nascer foram realizadas pelos testes de qui-quadrado e correlação de Pearson, adotando um nível de confiança de 95% (α = 0,05). Foram estudadas 149 gestantes, com 19,7% delas com baixo peso; 32,0% eutróficas e 48,3% com excesso de peso. Entre os recém-nascidos, 39,6% eram pequenos para idade gestacional (PIG); 26,8% adequados para a idade gestacional (AIG) e 33,6% grandes para a idade gestacional (GIG). O excesso de peso gestacional e a presença de comorbidades metabólicas se associaram com o nascimento de recém-nascidos GIG e o ganho ponderal gestacional insuficiente com o nascimento de recém-nascidos PIG, sendo fundamentais intervenções para redução desses desfechos.

Birth weight, physical growth and body composition in children: A longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Objective To describe children’s physical growth (body mass and height) velocity and body composition (fat percentage and Fat Free Mass); to investigate the magnitude of interindividual differences according to age, gender and birth weight categories, as well as to examine the differences in the average trajectories of children with Low Birth Weight and Normal Weight according to international references. Methods The sample consisted of 534 children (279 boys and 255 girls, 7 to 10 years old) evaluated in the first year of study and followed for 3 years with overlap between the ages of 7 and 9 years. Physical growth and body composition measurements included: height, body mass, fat percentage (%Fat) and Fat Free Mass. Multilevel Modelling was used. Results Birth weight was not associated with physical growth and body composition markers at 7 years old or with the velocity of their changes (p>0.05). There were significant interindividual differences in the trajectories of physical growth (height and body mass; p<0.001) and body composition (%Fat and Fat Free Mass; p<0.001). In plotting on international percentile charts, the trajectories of growth and body composition were within expected values for age and gender, regardless of birth weight. Conclusion There are significant differences in the dynamics of stature growth, body mass and Fat Free Mass, and Low Birth Weight has no influence on this trajectory. In addition, values are within the expected range for age and sex.

Developmental Origins of Cardiometabolic Diseases: Role of the Maternal Diet

Developmental origins of cardiometabolic diseases have been related to maternal nutritional conditions. In this context, the rising incidence of arterial hypertension, diabetes type II, and dyslipidemia has been attributed to genetic programming. Besides, environmental conditions during perinatal development such as maternal undernutrition or overnutrition can program changes in the integration among physiological systems leading to cardiometabolic diseases. This phenomenon can be understood in the context of the phenotypic plasticity and refers to the adjustment of a phenotype in response to environmental input without genetic change, following a novel, or unusual input during development. Experimental studies indicate that fetal exposure to an adverse maternal environment may alter the morphology and physiology that contribute to the development of cardiometabolic diseases. It has been shown that both maternal protein restriction and overnutrition alter the central and peripheral control of arterial pressure and metabolism. This review will address the new concepts on the maternal diet induced-cardiometabolic diseases that include the potential role of the perinatal malnutrition.