title: Early growth, and coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes: experiences from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Studies.
abstract: Experiences during critical periods of development through the mechanisms of programming have consequences on later health outcomes. Observations worldwide linking a small body size at birth with adult health outcomes have greatly added to our understanding of the early origins of several non-communicable diseases like coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes. The pattern of growth predisposing to CHD is characterized by a small body size at birth and thinness through infancy up to 2 years of age, followed by accelerated gain in weight and body mass index (BMI) later in childhood. The early growth patterns of individuals who later develop type 2 diabetes very much resemble the growth patterns of CHD, that is, a small body size at birth and thinness at 1 year of age followed by higher body mass indices later in childhood. Numerous studies support the importance of events during critical periods of growth in the pathogenesis of many non-communicable diseases like CHD and type 2 diabetes. There are several possible mechanisms through which a non-optimal early growth associated with accelerated weight gain in childhood could lead to these diseases. To get a better understanding of the patterns of growth affecting adult health outcomes, a life-course approach to the development of chronic diseases needs to be taken.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Diabetes and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. jern@ktl.fi
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Eriksson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013851:Thinness / Q000150:complications; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*