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Rapid postnatal weight gain and visceral adiposity in adulthood: the Fels Longitudinal Study

Ellen W Demerath1, Derek Reed, Audrey C Choh

  • 1Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. ewd@umn.edu

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|April 18, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Rapid infant weight gain is linked to higher body fat and obesity risk in adulthood. This includes increased visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT).

Area of Science:

  • Human Physiology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Rapid infant weight gain is a known risk factor for later obesity.
  • However, its specific associations with abdominal adipose tissue depots, including visceral adipose tissue (VAT), are not well-established.
  • Understanding these early life growth patterns is crucial for long-term health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between early infant growth patterns and specific abdominal adipose tissue depots in middle adulthood.
  • To examine associations between infant weight gain, birth weight, and other early life factors with adult body composition measures.
  • To determine if rapid infant weight gain predicts increased visceral adipose tissue (VAT) or abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for body composition analysis in middle-aged adults.
  • Analyzed data from 233 singleton white children from the Fels Longitudinal Study, assessing infant weight gain from 0-2 years.
  • Employed multivariate-adjusted general linear models to control for covariates like maternal BMI, gestational age, and parity.

Main Results:

  • Infants with rapid weight gain showed significantly higher total body fat, percent body fat, VAT mass, and ASAT mass in adulthood.
  • Rapid weight gain was associated with an increased risk of obesity (OR=4.1).
  • No preferential deposition of VAT was observed; increases in both VAT and ASAT were noted.

Conclusions:

  • Rapid infant weight gain is a significant predictor of increased total adiposity and abdominal fat, including both VAT and ASAT, in middle adulthood.
  • These findings highlight the critical role of early life growth trajectories in shaping long-term metabolic health and obesity risk.
  • Early interventions targeting healthy infant growth may be important for preventing adult obesity and related health issues.

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