Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Monitoring Blood Glucose in Mouse Offspring After Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
Published on: May 17, 2024
Birthweight and fasting glucose and insulin levels: results from the Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study
Susan M Sayers1, Susan A Mott, Kay D Mann
1Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, NT, Australia. sue.sayers@menzies.edu.au
Insights
Birthweight was linked to higher fasting glucose in Aboriginal adolescents, but not insulin. Low birthweight combined with later overweight was uncommon, suggesting a lower risk for type 2 diabetes in this group.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Type 2 diabetes risk is influenced by early life factors and current body composition.
- Understanding these relationships in Indigenous populations is crucial for targeted health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between birthweight, current anthropometrics, and metabolic markers (fasting glucose and insulin) in Aboriginal adolescents.
- To assess the prevalence of high-risk combinations for type 2 diabetes.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal prospective study followed an Aboriginal birth cohort from Northern Territory, Australia.
- Data collected included birthweight, current size measurements, and fasting glucose and insulin levels.
- Analyses adjusted for gestational age, sex, and age.
Main Results:
- Birthweight showed a positive association with fasting glucose levels.
- Current weight was positively associated with both fasting insulin and glucose levels.
- Current height was positively associated with insulin levels.
Conclusions:
- Birthweight is associated with fasting glucose but not fasting insulin levels in this cohort.
- The combination of low birthweight or fetal growth restriction with later overweight/obesity was rare.
- This suggests a potentially lower risk for type 2 diabetes development related to these specific factors in this adolescent Aboriginal population.
Objective:
To examine the relationships between birthweight, current size, and fasting glucose and fasting insulin levels in Aboriginal adolescents.
Design, Participants And Setting:
Longitudinal prospective study of a Northern Territory Aboriginal birth cohort of 686 Aboriginal babies born at the Royal Darwin Hospital between January 1987 and March 1990, and followed up between December 2006 and January 2008 in over 40 NT locations.
Main Outcome Measures:
Fasting insulin and glucose levels, adjusted for gestational age, sex and contemporary age.
Results:
Among the 134 participants with complete data, those with fetal growth restriction (FGR) or low birthweight (LBW) at birth were not overweight at 18 2013s. In these circumstances, birthweight showed a significant positively directed association with fasting glucose levels (P = 0.002). Current weight showed a significant and positively directed association with both fasting insulin (P < 0.001) and fasting glucose levels (P = 0.001), and current height showed a significant and positively directed association with insulin levels (P = 0.006).
Conclusions:
Birthweight was only positively associated with fasting glucose levels, with no association with fasting insulin levels. The high-risk combination for type 2 diabetes of LBW or FGR with later overweight or obesity was rare in this adolescent Aboriginal population.
More Related Videos
08:13Study of In Vivo Glucose Metabolism in High-fat Diet-fed Mice Using Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and Insulin Tolerance Test (ITT)
Published on: January 7, 2018
04:54Using a Combination of Indirect Calorimetry, Infrared Thermography, and Blood Glucose Levels to Measure Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis in Humans
Published on: June 2, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...
Hyperglycemia
Type II Diabetes Mellitus III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnosis
Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...