title: Serum insulin-like growth factor-I concentrations in late middle age: no association with birthweight in three UK cohorts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Small body size at birth and during infancy is associated with an increased risk of adult osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Fetal programming of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor (GH-IGF) axis may provide a mechanism for these epidemiological findings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether measurements of GH and IGF-I in late middle age were related to size at birth and in infancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overnight urinary GH excretion and fasting serum IGF-I were measured in 309 men and 193 women from Hertfordshire (born 1920-1930) for whom birthweight and weight at 1 year were recorded. Serum IGF-I was measured in men and women from Preston (n=254, born 1935-1943) and Sheffield (n=215, born 1939-1940) whose birthweight and other birth measurements were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Urinary GH and serum IGF-I were not related to birthweight, other measurements at birth, or weight at 1 year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to previous studies in children or young adults, these data do not support the hypothesis that IGF-I concentrations are programmed by intra-uterine events, as assessed by birthweight, in late middle age.
authors.affiliation: Fetal Origins of Adult Disease Division, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: R I G
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Syddall
authors.forename: D I W
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Martyn
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Gluckman
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Breier
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: C H D
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Fall
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D015592:Immunoradiometric Assay; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I