LOW birthweight may be associated with increased risk for Type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to recently published data. Jimmy Célind, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues, found a higher risk of T2D amongst males who had a lower birthweight followed by being overweight as young adults, compared to those with a normal weight at the same times of life.
Célind and team collected data from 32,231 males who had participated in a population-based cohort study in Gothenburg, Sweden, born between 1945–1961. Birth weight and height were collected from national registries, in addition to weight and height at 8 years old and 20 years old. BMI at age 8 years was estimated using paired height and weight measures from age 6.5–9.5 years, and BMI at 20 years old was estimated using paired height and weight measurements from age 17.5–22.0 years. The team defined overweight at age 8 years as a BMI of more than 17.9 kg/m2, and overweight at age 20 years was defined as a BMI of more than 25 kg/m2. The team also collected T2D information from the Swedish National Patient Register, with early T2D defined as receiving diagnosis at age 59.4 years or younger, and any diagnoses after this age labelled as late T2D.
There were 2,733 males diagnosed with T2D during a median follow-up of 34.3 years. In a mutually adjusted model, participants who weighed less than 3.6 kg at birth had an increased risk for early T2D (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.32–1.63) and late T2D (HR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.19–1.48), compared with those who weighed 3.6 kg or more at birth. Males with overweight at age 20 years were more likely to develop early T2D (HR: 3.99; 95% CI: 3.47–4.59) and late T2D (HR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.92–2.76) than males with normal weight. Overweight at age 8 years was not associated with an increased risk for T2D.
Ultimately, the team concluded that low birth weight and being overweight as a young adult was associated with a higher risk of developing T2D, compared to those with a normal weight at these ages. “The clinical implications are that since a significant risk has been accumulated already in the developmental period, effective preventive efforts must start during development,” commented Célind.
