Adolescent Growth Spurt and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Southwestern American Indians

Early puberty onset is associated with higher risk of diabetes, but most studies have not accounted for childhood factors that may confound the association. Using data from a study conducted in an Indigenous community in Arizona (1965-2007), we examined associations of timing and velocity of the adolescent growth spurt with type 2 diabetes, and whether these associations are mediated by childhood body mass index and insulinemia. Adolescent growth parameters were derived from the Preece-Baines growth model, a parametric growth curve fitted to longitudinal height data, for 861 participants with height measurements spanning the whole period of growth. In males, older age at take-off, age at peak velocity, and age at maturation were associated with decreased prevalence of diabetes (odds ratio (OR) = 0.43 per year, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.27, 0.69; OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.72; OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.83, respectively), while higher velocity at take-off was associated with increased risk (OR = 3.47 per cm/year, 95% CI: 1.87, 6.42) adjusting for age, birth year, and maternal diabetes. Similar results were observed with incident diabetes. Our findings suggest that an early and accelerated adolescent growth spurt is a risk factor for diabetes, at least in males. These associations are only partially explained by measures of adiposity and insulinemia.