Rapid growth among term children whose birth weight was appropriate for gestational age has a longer lasting effect on body fat percentage than on body mass index.
BACKGROUND
It is not clear whether and how rapid growth in infancy, a risk factor for later obesity, differentially affects growth and body-composition development throughout childhood in term children with an appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) birth weight.


OBJECTIVE
The aim was to examine the effect of rapid growth in infancy on body mass index SD score (BMI SDS) and body fat percentage (%BF) trajectories until age 7 y.


METHODS
This analysis included 206 (50.5% female) AGA term participants of the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study. Repeated anthropometric measurements were obtained between 0.5 and 7 y of age.


RESULTS
Fifty-nine of the 206 children (28.6%) displayed rapid growth (an increase in SDS for weight of >0.67 between birth and age 2 y). From 6 mo of age, their growth trajectories diverged from normal growers, and by age 7 y they had a higher BMI, more fat mass, and a higher risk of overweight (odds ratio: 6.2; 95% CI: 2.4, 16.5; P = 0.0002). Multilevel model analyses showed that the differences in BMI were achieved within the first 2 y of life [beta (+/-SE) SDS: 1.22 +/- 0.13], after which they persisted at this level until the age of 7 y, whereas differences in %BF, which were also already discernible by age 2 y (1.52 +/- 0.34%), became progressively larger over the next 5 y (adjusted difference: 0.23 +/- 0.11%/y; P = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Rapid growth in infancy and early childhood results in an increased BMI and %BF throughout childhood and an increased risk of overweight at age 7 y among AGA children. Rapid growth in AGA children has a more pronounced effect on %BF than on BMI.
Karaolis-Danckert
Nadina
N
Research Institute of Child Nutrition, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Dortmund, Germany.
Buyken
Anette E
AE
Bolzenius
Katja
K
Perim de Faria
Carolina
C
Lentze
Michael J
MJ
Kroke
Anja
A
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology