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A Mixed-Longitudinal Study of Height Velocity of Greek Schoolchildren and the Milestones of the Adolescent Growth Spurt. CHILDREN 2022; 9:children9060790. [PMID: 35740727 PMCID: PMC9221559 DOI: 10.3390/children9060790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Height velocity (HV) growth charts constructed from longitudinal studies are scarce as they have inherent difficulties, e.g., time, and costs. These difficulties can be partly overcome by a mixed-longitudinal study that covers the entire age range within 3–6 years. To construct HV charts of Greek children and to estimate the milestones of the adolescent growth spurt (AGS), i.e., the onset of AGS (take-off), peak HV, and total pubertal growth (TPG), we performed a mixed longitudinal study in 1514 Greek schoolchildren (6–18 years) with height measurements every 6 months during three schoolyears. We constructed HV charts for boys and girls. Take-off occurs earlier in girls, and, in both sexes, it precedes by 1–1.5 years the appearance of physical signs of puberty. PHV in boys occurs at 12.61 years and in girls at 10.93 years. At take-off, boys are 5 cm taller than girls and TPG for boys is 35.8 cm and for girls 27.3 cm. We constructed HV charts plotted by age, irrespective of pubertal status, and presented data on the milestones of AGS. Furthermore, we suggest that the gradual increase in IGF-1 and E2 that occurs after 5 to 6 years of age triggers the onset of AGS, which precedes physical signs of puberty.
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Hochberg Z. Uncoupling of the Infancy Life History Stage. Horm Res Paediatr 2022; 94:161-167. [PMID: 34352793 DOI: 10.1159/000517264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The life history of Homo sapiens is unique in having a comparatively short stage of infancy which lasts for 2-3 years. Infancy is characterized by suckling of breast milk, the development of sensorimotor cognition, the acquisition of language, mini-puberty, deciduous dentition, and almost complete skull growth. Infancy ends with the infancy-childhood growth transition (ICT) and separation from the mother. In modern-day affluent societies, breastfeeding depends on the mother's decision and may happen at any age, and the characteristic traits of infancy have uncoupled. The data and theory for this contention are presented. SUMMARY The biological traits of mini-puberty and ICT characteristic of infancy occur before age 1 along with language acquisition. The cognitive (sensorimotor) component occurs by age 2, and the social component of separation from the mother by any age from 1 to 3 years. Key Messages: Human life history is based on a coherent stage of infancy which assumes coupling between the biological, cognitive, and social maturation of a baby. This is no longer the case in industrial societies and might never be so again. The upbringing of an infant needs to consider the new biology of this dissociated infancy and a new timetable of the infant's life-history events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze'ev Hochberg
- The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Maleta K, Fan YM, Luoma J, Ashorn U, Bendabenda J, Dewey KG, Hyöty H, Knip M, Kortekangas E, Lehto KM, Matchado A, Nkhoma M, Nurminen N, Parkkila S, Purmonen S, Veijola R, Oikarinen S, Ashorn P. Infections and systemic inflammation are associated with lower plasma concentration of insulin-like growth factor I among Malawian children. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 113:380-390. [PMID: 33381802 PMCID: PMC7851819 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is the most important hormonal promoter of linear growth in infants and young children. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to compare plasma IGF-I concentration in a low- compared with a high-income country and characterize biological pathways leading to reduced IGF-I concentration in children in a low-income setting. METHODS We analyzed plasma IGF-I concentration from 716 Malawian and 80 Finnish children at 6-36 mo of age. In the Malawian children, we studied the association between IGF-I concentration and their environmental exposures; nutritional status; systemic and intestinal inflammation; malaria parasitemia and viral, bacterial, and parasitic enteric infections; as well as growth at 18 mo of age. We then conducted a pathway analysis to identify direct and indirect associations between these predictors and IGF-I concentration. RESULTS The mean IGF-I concentrations were similar in Malawi and Finland among 6-mo-old infants. At age 18 mo, the mean ± SD concentration was almost double among the Finns compared with the Malawians [24.2 ± 11.3 compared with 12.5 ± 7.7 ng/mL, age- and sex-adjusted difference in mean (95% CI): 11.8 (9.9, 13.7) ng/mL; P < 0.01]. Among 18-mo-old Malawians, plasma IGF-I concentration was inversely associated with systemic inflammation, malaria parasitemia, and intestinal Shigella, Campylobacter, and enterovirus infection and positively associated with the children's weight-for-length z score (WLZ), female sex, maternal height, mother's education, and dry season. Seasonally, mean plasma IGF-I concentration was highest in June and July and lowest in December and January, coinciding with changes in children's length gain and preceded by ∼2 mo by the changes in their WLZ. CONCLUSIONS The mean plasma IGF-I concentrations are similar in Malawi and Finland among 6-mo-old infants. Thereafter, mean concentrations rise markedly in Finland but not in Malawi. Systemic inflammation and clinically nonapparent infections are strongly associated with lower plasma IGF-I concentrations in Malawi through direct and indirect pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Maleta
- School of Public Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Yue-Mei Fan
- Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Juho Luoma
- Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Ulla Ashorn
- Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jaden Bendabenda
- School of Public Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Kathryn G Dewey
- Institute for Global Nutrition and Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Heikki Hyöty
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Fimlab Ltd, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mikael Knip
- Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Paediatric Research Center, Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Research Programs for Clinical and Molecular Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Folkhälsan Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emma Kortekangas
- Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Kirsi-Maarit Lehto
- Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Andrew Matchado
- School of Public Health and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Minyanga Nkhoma
- Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Noora Nurminen
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Seppo Parkkila
- Fimlab Ltd, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
- Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Sami Purmonen
- Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Riitta Veijola
- Department of Paediatrics, PEDEGO Research Unit, Medical Research Centre, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Sami Oikarinen
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Per Ashorn
- Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Department of Paediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
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Bernstein RM, O'Connor GK, Vance EA, Affara N, Drammeh S, Dunger DB, Faal A, Ong KK, Sosseh F, Prentice AM, Moore SE. Timing of the Infancy-Childhood Growth Transition in Rural Gambia. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:142. [PMID: 32265838 PMCID: PMC7105771 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Karlberg model of human growth describes the infancy, childhood, and puberty (ICP) stages as continuous and overlapping, and defined by transitions driven by sequential additional effects of several endocrine factors that shape the growth trajectory and resultant adult size. Previous research has suggested that a delayed transition from the infancy to the childhood growth stage contributes to sub-optimal growth outcomes. A new method developed to analyze the structure of centile crossing in early life has emerged as a potential tool for identifying the infancy-childhood transition (ICT), through quantifying patterns of adjacent monthly weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) deviation correlations. Using this method, the infancy-childhood transition was identified as taking place at around 12 months of age in two cohorts of UK infants. Here, we apply this method to data collected as part of a longitudinal growth study in rural Gambia [the Hormonal and Epigenetic Regulators of Growth, or HERO-G study, N = 212 (F = 99, M = 113)], in order to identify the ICT and assess whether timing of this transition differs across groups based on sex or birth seasonality. We calculated Pearson correlation coefficients for adjacent monthly WAZ score deviations. Based on the patterns of change in the correlation structure over time, our results suggest that the infancy-childhood transition occurs at around 9 months of age in rural Gambian infants. This points to an accelerated ICT compared to UK infants, rather than a delayed ICT. A comparatively later transition, seen in UK infants, allows maximal extension of the high rates of growth during the infancy stage; an earlier transition as seen in Gambian infants cuts short this period of rapid growth, potentially impacting on growth outcomes in childhood while diverting energy into other processes critical to responses to acute infectious challenges. Growth in later developmental stages in this population offers an extended window for catch-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin M. Bernstein
- Growth and Development Lab, Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
- Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - G. Kesler O'Connor
- Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis (LISA), Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Eric A. Vance
- Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis (LISA), Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Nabeel Affara
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Saikou Drammeh
- MRC Unit The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - David B. Dunger
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Abdoulie Faal
- MRC Unit The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Ken K. Ong
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Fatou Sosseh
- MRC Unit The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Andrew M. Prentice
- MRC Unit The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
| | - Sophie E. Moore
- MRC Unit The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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Shaoul R, Tiosano D, Hochberg Z. Evo-devo of Child Growth: The Role of Weaning in the Transition from Infancy to Childhood. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2015; 56:887-95. [DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2012.732623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Albertsson-Wikland K, Kriström B, Jonsson B, Hochberg Z. Long-term response to GH therapy in short children with a delayed infancy-childhood transition (DICT). Pediatr Res 2011; 69:504-10. [PMID: 21297523 DOI: 10.1203/pdr.0b013e3182139243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Transition of growth from infancy to childhood is associated with activation of the GH-IGF-I axis. Children with a delayed infancy-childhood transition (DICT) are short as adults. Thus, age at ICT may impact on growth response to GH. The objective was to investigate associations between growth response to GH treatment and ICT timing in children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) in a randomized, controlled, multicenter trial, TRN 88-080. A total of 147 prepubertal children (mean age, 11.5 ± 1.4 y) were randomized to receive GH 33 μg/kg/d (GH33, n = 43), GH 67 μg/kg/d (GH67, n = 61), or no treatment (n = 43). Data on growth to final height (FH) were analyzed after categorization into those with normal (n = 76) or delayed ICT (n = 71). Within the GH33 group, significant height gain at FH was only observed in children with a DICT (p < 0.001), with each month of delay corresponding to gain of 0.13 SD score (SDS). For the GH67 group, the timing of the onset of the ICT had no impact on growth response. In conclusion, ISS children with a DICT responded to standard GH dose (better responsiveness), whereas those with a normal ICT required higher doses to attain a significant height gain to FH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Albertsson-Wikland
- Göteborg Pediatric Growth Research Center, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, SE-41685 Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Phuka JC, Maleta K, Thakwalakwa C, Cheung YB, Briend A, Manary MJ, Ashorn P. Postintervention growth of Malawian children who received 12-mo dietary complementation with a lipid-based nutrient supplement or maize-soy flour. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89:382-90. [PMID: 19056572 DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.26483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Therapeutic feeding with micronutrient-fortified lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNSs) has proven useful in the rehabilitation of severely malnourished children. We recently reported that complementary feeding of 6-18-mo-old infants with an LNS known as FS50 was associated with improved linear growth and a reduction in the incidence of severe stunting during the supplementation period. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to assess whether a reduction in stunting seen with 12-mo LNS supplementation was sustained over a subsequent 2-y nonintervention period. DESIGN One hundred eighty-two 6-mo-old healthy rural Malawian infants were randomly assigned to receive daily supplementation for 12 mo with 71 g of maize-soy flour [likuni phala (LP); control group, 282 kcal] or either 50 g of FS50 (264 kcal; main intervention group), or 25 g of FS25 (130 kcal). Main outcome measures were incidence of severe stunting and mean z score changes in weight-for-age, length-for-age, and weight-for-length during a 36-mo follow-up period. RESULTS The cumulative 36-mo incidence of severe stunting was 19.6% in LP, 3.6% in FS50, and 10.3% in FS25 groups (P = 0.03). Mean weight-for-age changes were -1.09, -0.76, and -1.22 (P = 0.04); mean length-for-age changes were -0.47, -0.37, and -0.71 (P = 0.10); and mean weight-for-length changes were -1.52, -1.18, and -1.48 (P = 0.27). All differences were more marked among individuals with baseline length-for-age below the median. Differences in length developed during the intervention at age 10-18 mo, whereas weight differences continued to increase after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS Twelve-month-long complementary feeding with 50 g/d FS50 is likely to have a positive and sustained impact on the incidence of severe stunting in rural Malawi. Half-dose intervention may not have the same effect. This trial was registered at (clinicaltrials.gov) as NCT00131209.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Phuka
- College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi.
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Abstract
Human size is a tradeoff between the evolutionary advantages and disadvantages of being small or big. We now propose that adult size is determined to an important extent during transition from infancy to childhood. This transition is marked by a growth spurt. A delay in the transition has a lifelong impact on stature and is responsible for 44% of children with short stature in developed countries and many more in developing countries. Here, we present the data and theory of an evolutionary adaptive strategy of plasticity in the timing of transition from infancy into childhood to match the prevailing energy supply. We propose that humans have evolved to withstand energy crises by decreasing their body size, and that evolutionary short-term adaptations to energy crises trigger a predictive adaptive response that modify the transition into childhood, culminating in short stature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze'ev Hochberg
- Meyer Children's Hospital, POB 9602, Haifa 31096, Israel.
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Canessa E. Modeling of body mass index by Newton's second law. J Theor Biol 2007; 248:646-56. [PMID: 17692872 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2007.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2006] [Revised: 06/08/2007] [Accepted: 06/12/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Since laws of physics exists in nature, their possible relationship to terrestrial growth is introduced. By considering the human body as a dynamic system of variable mass (and volume), growing under a gravity field, it is shown how natural laws may influence the vertical growth of humans. This approach makes sense because the non-linear percentile curves of different aspects of human physical growth from childhood to adolescence can be described in relation to physics laws independently of gender and nationality. Analytical relations for the dependence of stature, measured mass (weight), growth velocity (and their mix as the body mass index) on age are deduced with a set of common statistical parameters which could relate environmental, genetics and metabolism and different aspects of physical growth on earth. A relationship to the monotone smoothing using functional data analysis to estimate growth curves and its derivatives is established. A preliminary discussion is also presented on horizontal growth in an essentially weightless environment (i.e., aquatic) with a connection to the Laird-Gompertz formula for growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Canessa
- The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy.
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Abstract
Few studies in developing countries follow growth trajectories from birth to adulthood. Such studies are important because size at birth and postnatal growth affect risk of chronic disease in adulthood. This study examines the inter-relationships of maternal factors during pregnancy, infant birth weight and length, early postnatal growth, and young adult height, weight, BMI, and skinfold thicknesses, with particular attention to patterns of growth associated with increased chronic disease risk. Women were recruited in pregnancy, and offspring were followed from birth to age 21 in the community-based Cebu (Philippines) Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Birth weight and length are independently, positively associated with height, BMI and sum of skinfolds in young adult males and females, and inversely associated with the subscapular to triceps ratio in males only. The effects of size at birth on adult size were modified by birth order, and remained significant after adjusting for maternal nutritional status, socioeconomic status at birth and throughout the growth period, and maturation. Early postnatal growth was strongly influenced by BMI at birth, with rapid early infant weight gain associated with thinness. The growth pattern of the at-risk group most often associated with increased risk of chronic disease (small at birth, relatively heavy as an adult), was characterized by more rapid growth in the first 4 postnatal months. The high level of inter-relatedness of maternal nutrition in pregnancy, prenatal growth, and postnatal growth emphasizes the need to consider the full growth trajectory in studies of developmental origins of adult disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda S Adair
- Department of Nutrition, Schools of Public Health and Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516-2524, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Gelander
- Göteborg Paediatric Growth Research Centre, Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE By age 5 years, offspring of diabetic mothers (ODMs) are heavier and have altered glucose metabolism compared with offspring of mothers without diabetes (non-DMs). This study evaluates the growth pattern of ODMs before the age of 5 years. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Anthropometric measures (z scores) from birth, 1.5 years, and 7.7 years in Pima Indian children were compared by maternal diabetes status. RESULTS After adjustment for earlier gestational age at delivery (37.8 vs. 39.3 weeks, P < 0.01), ODMs were heavier at birth (z score birth weight 0.49 vs. -0.04, P < 0.01) than non-DMs. At age 1.5 years, ODMs were shorter than the non-DMs (z score = -0.24 vs. 0.12, P < 0.01) but their weight and relative weight (RW; weight adjusted for age, sex, and length or height) were similar. From birth to 1.5 years, ODMs showed significant "catch down" of weight compared with non-DMs (change in weight z score from birth to 1.5 years of ODMs and non-DMs was -0.56 and 0.12, respectively, P < 0.01). By age 7.7 years, ODMs were heavier (weight z score 0.89 vs. -0.07, P < 0.01) but had similar height as non-DMs. Differences in glucose and insulin concentrations at age 7.7 years were dependent on RW. CONCLUSIONS ODMs had a dramatically different growth pattern from that of non-DMs. Gestational age-adjusted birth weight was higher. During the first 1.5 postnatal years, the change in weight z score and attained height were reduced. Subsequently, height caught up to that of non-DMs, while weight gain greatly exceeded that of non-DMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Touger
- Diabetes Epidemiology and Clinical Research Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 1550 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85014, USA.
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