title: Do height-related variations in insulin-like growth factors underlie the associations of stature with adult chronic disease?
abstract: Tall people, particularly those with long legs, have an increased risk of developing cancer but a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. We examined associations of stature and body mass index with IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-2 and IGFBP-3 in 274 men aged 50-70 yr to investigate whether variations in growth factor levels underlie associations of anthropometry with a number of adult diseases. Height and leg and trunk length were not strongly associated with circulating levels of IGF-I, IGF-II, or IGFBP-3. The molar ratio of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 increased with increases in the leg/trunk length ratio (P = 0.06). IGFBP-2 was positively associated with leg length and inversely associated with trunk length. Mean levels of IGFBP-2 (in nanograms per milliliter) across quartiles of increasing leg length were 504.4 493.6, 528.7, and 578.8 (P(trend) = 0.06), and for trunk length were 615.2, 507.2, 498.6, 488.5 (P(trend) < 0.01), suggesting that variations in IGFBP-2, or a factor influencing its levels in the circulation, may contribute to biological mechanisms underlying height-disease associations. We conclude that whereas growth-influencing exposures during childhood, which may operate through effects on IGF-I levels, have long-term influences on disease risk, they do not necessarily program IGF-I levels throughout life. The associations of anthropometry with IGFBP-2 merit additional investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PR, UK. D.J.Gunnell@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gunnell
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gillatt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Persad
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Hamdy
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.forename: J M P
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Holly
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001824:Body Constitution; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D018971:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 / Q000097:blood; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000097:blood; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000032:analysis; D007866:Leg / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D018971:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D013002:Somatomedins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II