Prenatal and postnatal milk supplementation and adult insulin-like growth factor I: long-term follow-up of a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
Insulin-like growth factors (IGF) are increasingly recognized as important determinants of adult health, in particular risk of certain cancers. However, little is known about the determinants of adult IGFs and to what degree they may be programmed by early life influences.


METHODS
Randomized controlled trial of prenatal and postnatal milk supplementation among 951 subjects born in 1972 to 1974 in South Wales.


METHODS
Measures of IGF-I, IGF binding protein 3, and the molar ratio.


RESULTS
Data on adult IGFs were available from 663 subjects at a mean age of 25 years. Subjects in the intervention arm had lower IGF-I (-8.5 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval, -15.1 to -1.8, P = 0.01) and ratio (-1.20; 95% confidence interval, -2.33 to -0.04, P = 0.04). These differences could not be explained by follow-up bias or confounding factors.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide experimental data on the role of early life programming either in the intrauterine or postnatal period that may have long-term influences on the IGF axis, with potential implications for disease risk.
Ben-Shlomo
Yoav
Y
Department of Social Medicine, Canynge Hall, University of Bristol, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR, United Kingdom. y.ben-shlomo@bristol.ac.uk
Holly
Jeff
J
McCarthy
Anne
A
Savage
Paul
P
Davies
David
D
Davey Smith
George
G
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000886:Anthropometry; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D006801:Humans; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000097:blood*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014852:Wales
D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I