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High and low birth weight and its implication for growth and bone development in childhood and adolescence

Oliver Fricke1, Oliver Semler, Angelika Stabrey

  • 1Children's Hospital, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. frickeo@uni-koeln.de

Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism : JPEM
|April 7, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Lower birth weight is linked to reduced growth, body composition, and bone development in children and adolescents. These findings highlight birth weight

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Bone Biology

Background:

  • Birth weight (BW) is a critical early life indicator.
  • Understanding its long-term effects on growth and development is essential.
  • Previous research suggests associations between BW and later health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between birth weight and anthropometric measures.
  • To investigate the impact of birth weight on local body composition.
  • To determine the association of birth weight with bone development in children and adolescents.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 284 participants (ages 5-19) in the DONALD study.
  • Assessed bone development (BMDcort, CE) and body composition (FA) using pQCT.
  • Transformed parameters into SD scores for age/height adjustment.

Main Results:

  • Birth weight predicted weight, height, and fat area SD scores.
  • Lower birth weight (<10th percentile) correlated with lower weight and height SDS.
  • Lower birth weight was associated with reduced cortical bone mineral density (BMDcort-SDS) and increased endosteal circumference (CE-SDS).
  • In pubertal females, BMDcort correlated negatively with BW and fat area.

Conclusions:

  • Birth weight influences growth, body composition, and bone development.
  • These effects can be both direct and indirect.
  • Early life factors like birth weight have lasting impacts on skeletal and metabolic health.
Abstract

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