Adiposity rebound in children: a simple indicator for predicting obesity.
To follow and predict the evolution of adiposity during growth, individual adiposity curves, assessed by the weight/height2 index, were drawn for 151 children from the age of 1 month to 16 yr. Adiposity increases during the 1st yr and then decreases. A renewed rise, termed here the adiposity rebound, occurs at about 6 yr. Individual weight/height2 curves may differ regarding their percentile range level and age at adiposity rebound. The present study shows a relationship between the age at adiposity rebound and final adiposity. An early rebound (before 5.5 yr) is followed by a significantly higher adiposity level than a later rebound (after 7 yr). This phenomenon is observed whatever the subject's adiposity at 1 yr. The present observations might be connected with the cellularity of adipose tissue.
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors