title: Less myostatin and more lean mass in large-born infants from nondiabetic mothers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sexagenarians born large are at lower risk for type 2 diabetes than those born small, a key feature of their body composition being a higher muscle mass, which explains their higher body mass index and also their lower fat-to-lean-mass ratio. Myogenesis is completed in early infancy under the inhibitory control of myostatin. We tested whether large-born infants from nondiabetic mothers develop an early surplus of lean mass while having a lower myostatinemia. Design, Methods, Study Participants, and Main Outcomes: In a longitudinal study (0-4 mo), we compared the body composition and endocrine markers (fasting glucose, insulin, IGF-1, high molecular weight adiponectin) of breast-fed appropriate- vs large-for-gestational-age infants (n = 125) from nondiabetic mothers. Circulating myostatin concentrations were assayed after collection of the above-mentioned data.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted at the University Hospital for Women and Children.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were no interventions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 0-4 months, large-for-gestational-age infants switched from an adipose to a lean body composition (due to a nearly 20% excess of lean mass) and to an insulin-sensitive and hyperadiponectinemic state while having low IGF-1 concentrations and the lowest myostatinemia hitherto reported in the human (all between P ≤ .01 and P ≤ .0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Large-born infants from nondiabetic mothers were found to combine a low myostatinemia with an excess of lean mass. The fetal-neonatal control of myostatinemia deserves further attention because it could become a target of interventions that aim at reducing the risk for diabetes in later life by augmenting myogenesis in early life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology (F.d.Z.), University Hospital Gasthuisberg, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Endocrinology Unit (M.D., L.I.), and Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology (M.P.-C., M.D.G.-R.), Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, University of Barcelona, 08950 Esplugues, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (M.D., L.I.), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; and Department of Pediatrics (A.L.-B.), Dr Josep Trueta Hospital, and Girona Institute for Biomedical Research, 17007 Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Zegher
authors.forename: Míriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez-Cruz
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: María Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Gómez-Roig
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Bermejo
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ibáñez
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D055435:Myostatin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D055435:Myostatin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I