Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 4;23(1):2405.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-17236-9.

Birth outcomes and early growth patterns associated with age at adiposity rebound: the Ma'anshan birth cohort (MABC) study

Jixing Zhou  1   2   3   4 , Yuzhu Teng  1   2   3   4 , Shanshan Zhang  1   2   3   4 , Mengting Yang  1   2   3   4 , Shuangqin Yan  1   5 , Fangbiao Tao  1   2   3   4 , Kun Huang  6   7   8   9   10
Affiliations

Birth outcomes and early growth patterns associated with age at adiposity rebound: the Ma'anshan birth cohort (MABC) study

Jixing Zhou et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: Early onset of adiposity rebound (AR) is considered an early indicator of obesity risk. Our objective was to investigate the association of birth outcomes and early physical growth patterns with early AR in children.

Methods: Study subjects (n = 2705) were enrolled from the Ma'anshan birth cohort (MABC). The body mass index (BMI), head circumference, waist circumference, and body fat were collected. Rapid weight gain (RWG) was defined by the change in weight standard-deviation score in the first two years of life. Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to determine children's physical growth trajectories. The age of AR was fitted using fractional polynomial function models.

Results: Children with very high BMI trajectories (RR = 2.83; 95% CI 2.33 to 1.40), rising BMI trajectories (RR = 3.15; 95% CI 2.66 to 3.72), high waist circumference trajectories (RR = 4.17; 95% CI 3.43 to 5.06), and high body fat trajectories (RR = 3.01; 95% CI 2.62 to 3.46) before 72 months of age were at a greater risk of experiencing early AR. Low birth weight (LBW) (RR = 1.86; 95% CI 1.28 to 2.51), preterm birth (PTB) (RR = 1.50; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.93), and small for gestational age (SGA) (RR = 1.37; 95% CI 1.14 to 1.64) associated with increased risk of early AR. Moreover, infants experiencing RWG (RR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.40 to 1.83), low BMI trajectories (RR = 1.27; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.53) and rising BMI trajectories (RR = 1.50; 95% CI 1.22 to 1.84) in the first two years were at higher risk of developing early AR subsequently. Compared to the group with non-early AR, the BMI of children with early AR tended to be lower first (from birth to 6 months of age) and then higher (from 18 to 72 months of age).

Conclusions: Children with overall high BMI, high waist circumference, and high body fat before 72 months of age are more likely to experience early AR, but infants with low BMI trajectories, rising BMI trajectories and infants experiencing RWG in the first two years of life similarly increase the risk of early AR. These results can help to understand the early factors and processes that lead to metabolic risks.

Keywords: Adiposity rebound; BMI trajectory; Birth outcome; Children; Rapid weight gain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The follow-up diagram of the study participants
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Body mass index (BMI) trajectories of children from birth to 24 months of age
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Early childhood physical growth trajectories (A, BMI trajectories of children from birth to 72 months of age; B, Head circumference trajectories of children from birth to 24 months of age; C, waist circumference trajectories of children from 30 to 72 months of age; D, body fat trajectories of children from 48 to 72 months of age)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rolland-Cachera MF, Deheeger M, Bellisle F, Sempé M, Guilloud-Bataille M, Patois E. Adiposity rebound in children: a simple indicator for predicting obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1984;39(1):129–35. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/39.1.129. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wadsworth M, Butterworth S, Marmot M, Ecob R, Hardy R. Early growth and type 2 Diabetes: evidence from the 1946 British birth cohort. Diabetologia. 2005;48(12):2505–10. doi: 10.1007/s00125-005-0007-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fonseca MJ, Moreira C, Santos AC. Adiposity rebound and cardiometabolic health in childhood: results from the Generation XXI birth cohort. Int J Epidemiol. 2021;50(4):1260–71. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyab002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Koivuaho E, Laru J, Ojaniemi M, Puukka K, Kettunen J, Tapanainen JS, Franks S, Järvelin MR, Morin-Papunen L, Sebert S et al. Age at adiposity rebound in childhood is associated with PCOS diagnosis and obesity in adulthood-longitudinal analysis of BMI data from birth to age 46 in cases of PCOS. International journal of obesity (2005) 2019, 43(7):1370–1379. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhou J, Zhang F, Qin X, Li P, Teng Y, Zhang S, Tao F, Huang K. Age at adiposity rebound and the relevance for obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Obes. 2022;46(8):1413–24. doi: 10.1038/s41366-022-01120-4. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types