title: Reduced genetic influence on childhood obesity in small for gestational age children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Children born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) are at increased risk of developing obesity and metabolic diseases later in life, a risk which is magnified if followed by accelerated postnatal growth. We investigated whether common gene variants associated with adult obesity were associated with increased postnatal growth, as measured by BMI z-score, in children born SGA and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) in the Auckland Birthweight Collaborative.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 37 candidate SNPs were genotyped on 547 European children (228 SGA and 319 AGA). Repeated measures of BMI (z-score) were used for assessing obesity status, and results were corrected for multiple testing using the false discovery rate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SGA children had a lower BMI z-score than non-SGA children at assessment age 3.5, 7 and 11 years. We confirmed 27 variants within 14 obesity risk genes to be individually associated with increasing early childhood BMI, predominantly in those born AGA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic risk variants are less important in influencing early childhood BMI in those born SGA than in those born AGA, suggesting that non-genetic or environmental factors may be more important in influencing childhood BMI in those born SGA.
authors: Discipline of Nutrition, FM&HS, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. dy.han@auckland.ac.nz
authors: Dug Yeo
authors: DY
authors: Han
authors: Rinki
authors: R
authors: Murphy
authors: Angharad R
authors: AR
authors: Morgan
authors: Wen Jiun
authors: WJ
authors: Lam
authors: John M D
authors: JM
authors: Thompson
authors: Clare R
authors: CR
authors: Wall
authors: Karen E
authors: KE
authors: Waldie
authors: Edwin A
authors: EA
authors: Mitchell
authors: Lynnette R
authors: LR
authors: Ferguson
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D009520:New Zealand; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide