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Relationship between birthweight and blood lipid concentrations in later life: evidence from the existing literature

Liisa Laurén1, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin, Paul Elliott

  • 1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK. l.lauren@imperial.ac.uk

International Journal of Epidemiology
|October 16, 2003
PubMed

Insights

This review found no consistent link between birthweight and blood lipid levels in adults. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm any relationship between fetal growth and lipid metabolism.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Metabolic Health
  • Perinatal Studies

Background:

  • Fetal growth is linked to chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
  • Associations between birth weight and blood pressure/diabetes are established.
  • Limited research exists on birth size and blood lipid concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To qualitatively assess the relationship between birth size and blood lipid concentrations.
  • To determine if lipid metabolism mediates the link between intrauterine growth and cardiovascular disease.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive literature search was conducted from January 1966 to January 2003.
  • Databases searched included Medline, Embase, and Web of Science.
  • English-language studies on human birth size and lipid levels were included.

Main Results:

  • 39 studies involving 28,578 individuals were analyzed.
  • No consistent association was found between birth size and overall blood lipid levels.
  • Triglyceride levels showed a significant negative or U-shaped relationship with birth weight, but not a positive one.

Conclusions:

  • The current evidence does not strongly support a link between birth weight and adult blood lipid levels.
  • Research in this area is limited.
  • Definitive conclusions require powerful, prospective longitudinal studies with adequate data and follow-up.
Abstract

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