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Review
. 2024 May 15;50(1):98.
doi: 10.1186/s13052-024-01671-4.

Early adiposity rebound: predictors and outcomes

Alessandra Li Pomi  1   2 , Giorgia Pepe  3   4 , Tommaso Aversa  3   4 , Domenico Corica  3   4 , Mariella Valenzise  3   4 , Maria Francesca Messina  3   4 , Letteria Anna Morabito  4 , Stefano Stagi  5   6 , Malgorzata Wasniewska  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Early adiposity rebound: predictors and outcomes

Alessandra Li Pomi et al. Ital J Pediatr. .

Abstract

Adiposity rebound (AR) refers to the second rise of the body mass index (BMI) curve that usually occurs between six and eight years of age. AR timing has a significant impact on patients' health: early AR (EAR), usually before the age of five, is considered to be the earliest indicator of obesity and its related health conditions later in life. Many studies have evaluated factors that can be predictors of EAR, and identified low birth weight and gestational weight gain as novel predictors of EAR, highlighting the role of the intrauterine environment in the kinetics of adiposity. Furthermore, children with breastfeeding longer than 4 months have been found to be less likely to have an EAR, whereas children born to advanced-age mothers, high maternal BMI had a higher risk of having an EAR. Some differences were found in the timing of AR in boys and girls, with girls being more likely to have EAR. The aim of this review is to answer the following three questions: 1) Which are the prenatal and perinatal factors associated with increased risk of EAR? Is gender one of these? 2) Which are the outcomes of EAR in childhood and in adulthood? 3) Which measures can be taken in order to prevent premature AR?

Keywords: Adiposity rebound; Early adiposity rebound; Obesity; Obesity comorbidities; Sexual dimorfism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Early adiposity rebound and normal adiposity rebound. The figure shows the different growth patterns in EAR and in physiological AR. Compared to normal AR, EAR is associated with low fatness before the rebound and high fatness from the time of AR, with a high BMI at adult age but normal or even low BMI level before the rebound
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Factors influencing the timing of Adiposity Rebound (AR). On the left, the figure shows modifiable factors influencing the time of AR, that can be divided into prenatal, which is parents body shape, and postnatal, where breastfeeding is the only factors being associated with a reduced risk of EAR. On the right, the figure shows non modifiable factors influencing the time of AR, which are related to the pregnant woman and gestation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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