Association between low birth weight and high adult waist-to-height ratio in non-obese women: a cross-sectional study in a Japanese population.
Low birth weight has been associated with cardiovascular diseases.  The waist-to-height ratio is a good indicator of risks for these diseases.  The objective of this study was to examine the associations between birth weight and adult waist-to-height ratio in a Japanese population.  A cross-sectional study, comprised of 851 subjects (401 men and 450 women) aged 35-62 years who were born at full term, was conducted at a medical checkup.  The subjects responded to a questionnaire about weight at birth, and data on physical characteristics were collected from the results of the medical checkup.  The subjects were stratified with sex and a Body Mass Index of 25 kg/m(2) to elucidate the effects of birth weight on adult waist-to-height ratio.  Analysis of covariance was used to compare the physical condition among the 4 birth weight categories.  After adjusting for age, alcohol consumption, smoking status and exercise, the height was significantly lower in the birth weight < 2,500 g category among men (P < 0.001) and women (P < 0.001), while the waist-to-height ratio was significantly higher in the birth weight < 2,500 g category, compared with the > 3,500 g category in the non-obese women (P = 0.004), but not in the obese women.  In conclusion, low birth weight was independently associated with a low adult height among men and women and with a high adult waist-to-height ratio among non-obese women.  Our results suggest that intrauterine environmental insults might lead to accumulation of visceral fat among non-obese women.
Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto, Japan. s810731010@kpu.ac.jp
Kiyomi
K
Harada
Sayuki
S
Torii
Ayako
A
Saruwatari
Yurika
Y
Tanaka
Kaori
K
Kitaoka
Junpei
J
Takaaki
Wataru
W
Aoi
Sayori
S
Wada
Takayoshi
T
Ohkubo
Katsuyuki
K
Miura
Yoshiyuki
Y
Watanabe
Akane
A
Higashi
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology*