Birth weight, climate at birth and the risk of obesity in adult life.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether obesity in adults is related to seasonal or climatic conditions around the time of birth.


METHODS
1750 men and women born in Hertfordshire between 1920 and 1930.


METHODS
Height and weight measured in the home by trained fieldworkers.


RESULTS
Body mass index (BMI) rose with increasing birth weight in men and women. In men, BMI and the prevalence of obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/m2) varied as a function of month of birth and was greater among those born in January-June than among those born in July-December. The relationship between birth weight and adult obesity was also stronger in those born in the first 6 months of the year or following cold winters than in those born in the last 6 months of the year or following mild winters.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that adult obesity is linked both to high birth weight and to early cold exposure. Consequently, exposures in early life may contribute to individual variation in susceptibility to obesity in adults.
Phillips
D I
DI
MRC Unit, University of Southampton, UK.
Young
J B
JB
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002980:Climate; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons