The association between birth weight and visceral fat in middle-age adults.
OBJECTIVE
Low birth weight, a proxy for fetal underdevelopment, is associated with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes during adulthood. Low birth weight is also associated with central obesity, but little is known about the association between birth weight and visceral adiposity. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that lower birth weight is associated with increased amounts of visceral fat in middle-age adults.


METHODS
This is an observational study of 91 adults (58 men and 33 women) 40+/-6 years of age (mean+/-standard deviation). Ethnicity was either Japanese American (79%) or non-Hispanic white (21%). Birth weight was obtained from State Departments of Health. Measurements included smoking status, BMI, and visceral (intra-abdominal) fat measured by computed tomography.


RESULTS
Visceral fat was not associated with birth weight after adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, or smoking status (p=0.76). There was no evidence that the association between birth weight and visceral fat varied by age, sex, or ethnicity.


CONCLUSIONS
We found no evidence that low birth weight is associated with increased visceral fat in middle-age adults.
McNeely
Marguerite J
MJ
Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Division of General Internal Medicine, and Veterans Affairs Epidemiologic Research and Information Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, 98105-4608, USA. mcneely@u.washington.edu
Fujimoto
Wilfred Y
WY
Leonetti
Donna L
DL
Tsai
Elaine C
EC
Boyko
Edward J
EJ
D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012306:Risk; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed