Weight gain in childhood and blood lipids in adolescence.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effect of weight gain in childhood on blood lipid levels in adolescence.


METHODS
A population-based birth cohort carried out in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. All newborns in the city's hospitals were enrolled in 1982. The subjects have been followed up for several times in childhood. At age 18, 79% of all males were followed, and 2083 blood samples were available. Adjusted analyses controlled for household assets index, family income, parental schooling at birth, maternal smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding duration.


RESULTS
Birth weight for gestational age and weight gain in the first 20 months was not associated with blood lipid levels in adolescence. On the other hand, those subjects whose weight gain from 20 to 42 months of age was faster than that predicted from birth weight and weight-for-age z-score at the mean age of 20 months had lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) cholesterol [-0.78(95% confidence interval: -1.28; -0.29)] and higher very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL)/HDL ratio in adolescence. After controlling for current body mass index (BMI), the regression coefficient for HDL cholesterol decreased from -0.78 mg/dL to -0.29 mg/dL (95% confidence interval: -1.00 to 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Weight gain from 2 to 4 years is related to an atherogenic lipid profile in adolescence and this association is mediated by current BMI.
Horta
Bernardo L
BL
Post-Graduate Programme in Epidemiology, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. blhorta@uol.com.br
Victora
Cesar G
CG
Lima
Rosângela C
RC
Post
Paulo
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015430:Weight Gain
D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D002784:Cholesterol