IJE Advance Access published online on February 11, 2008
International Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/ije/dyn012
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Growth before 2 years of age and serum lipids 60 years later: the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study
1The National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
2Department of Medicine, Heart Research Center, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA.
3Developmental origins of Health and Disease Division, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
4Medical Research Council Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
5Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Corresponding author. National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, 00300 Helsinki, Finland. E-mail: eero.kajantie{at}helsinki.fi
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Abstract |
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Background: Small body size at birth and slow growth during the first 2 years after birth, leading to low body mass index (BMI) at 2 years, are associated with coronary heart disease and stroke in adult life. We tested the hypothesis that this path of growth is associated with an atherogenic lipid profile in later life.
Methods: We measured serum lipid concentrations at age 57–70 years in 1999 members of the Helsinki Birth Cohort. They were randomly selected from an original cohort of 8760 people and had on average 11 measurements of height and weight between birth and 2 years of age.
Results: The 18% of subjects who used lipid-lowering medication had a lower BMI at birth and at 2 years. These subjects were excluded from the analyses of lipid profiles. A 1 kg/m2 lower BMI at birth was associated with 0.051 mmol/l (95% CI –0.001 to 0.103; P = 0.05) higher non-HDL cholesterol and 0.018 g/l higher (0.005–0.031; P = 0.006) apolipoprotein B concentrations. A slower increase in BMI during the first 6 months after birth was associated with lower HDL and higher non-HDL cholesterol concentrations. A 1 kg/m2 lower BMI at 2 years was associated with 0.020 mmol/l lower (0.004–0.036; P = 0.02) HDL cholesterol and 0.059 mmol/l (0.020–0.099; P = 0.003) higher non-HDL cholesterol and 0.018 mmol/l higher (0.008–0.028; P < 0.001) apolipoprotein B concentrations. The age at weaning off breast milk was not associated with lipid profile in later life.
Conclusion: Small body size at birth and slow weight gain during infancy are associated with an atherogenic lipid profile in adult life.
Keywords Infant growth, lipids, cholesterol, lipoproteins
Accepted 16 November 2007
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