title: Thinness at birth and glucose tolerance in seven-year-old children.
abstract: Adults who had low birthweight and were thin at birth have an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance. To discover whether thinness at birth is associated with reduced glucose tolerance in children, 250 7-year-old children underwent an abbreviated oral glucose tolerance test. Children who were thin at birth, as measured by a low ponderal index (birthweight length-3) had higher plasma glucose concentrations. Plasma glucose concentration 30 min after a glucose load rose by 0.07 mmol l-1 (95% confidence interval 0.00 to 0.14; p = 0.04) for every unit (kg m-3) fall in ponderal index. Children in the lowest quarter of the distribution of ponderal index (23 kg m-3 or less) had a mean 30 min plasma glucose concentration of 8.49 mmol l-1 compared to a mean of 7.97 mmol l-1 for those in the highest quarter (> 27.5 kg m-3). These associations were independent of duration of gestation, gender, social class or the child's current weight. This is consistent with the hypothesis that Type 2 diabetes originates in utero.
authors.affiliation: MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Southampton General Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Shiell
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Hales
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013851:Thinness
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose