Weight gain trajectories from birth to 12 months and cardiovascular risk factors in middle adulthood

Infant weight gain is positively associated with fat and lean mass later in life, but whether it relates to adult cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is ambiguous. We examined associations between infant weight gain trajectories and adult CVD risk factors.

We included 739 individuals from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort. Repeated infant weight measurements and information on adult CVD risk factors at age 48-51 years were available. Five infant weight gain trajectories were estimated using latent class modelling (very low-moderately increasing; low-markedly increasing; low-stable increasing; average-stable increasing [reference group]; high-moderately increasing). Linear regression models were adjusted for parental and infant factors and additionally for birthweight. Compared with the average-stable increasing weight gain trajectory, in men, the very low-moderately increasing trajectory was associated with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol. In women, the low-markedly increasing trajectory was associated with higher DBP and the low-stable increasing trajectory was associated with lower body mass index and body fat percentage. The high-moderately increasing trajectory was associated with higher waist circumference in men and lower total cholesterol in women. Additional adjustment for birthweight attenuated some, but not all, associations.

Infant weight gain trajectories were not consistently associated with CVD risk profiles during adulthood. In men, the very-low moderately increasing weight trajectory had a worse CVD risk profile. Women with the low-stable increasing weight trajectory tended to have a better CVD risk profile.