title: Sex-specific associations of low birth weight with adult-onset diabetes and measures of glucose homeostasis: Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health.
abstract: Emerging evidence suggests sex differences in the early origins of adult metabolic disease, but this has been little investigated in developing countries. We investigated sex-specific associations between low birth weight (LBW; <2.5 kg) and adult-onset diabetes in 12,525 participants from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Diabetes was defined by self-reported information and laboratory measurements. In confounder-adjusted analyses, LBW (vs. 2.5-4 kg) was associated with higher prevalence of diabetes in women (Prevalence Ratio (PR) 1.54, 95% CI: 1.32-1.79), not in men (PR 1.06, 95% CI: 0.91-1.25; Pheterogeneity= 0.003). The association was stronger among participants with maternal diabetes (PR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.35-1.91), than those without (PR 1.15, 95% CI: 0.99-1.32; Pheterogeneity= 0.03). When jointly stratified by sex and maternal diabetes, the association was observed for women with (PR 1.77, 95% CI: 1.37-2.29) and without (PR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20-1.75) maternal diabetes. In contrast, in men, LBW was associated with diabetes in participants with maternal diabetes (PR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.15-1.83), but not in those without (PR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.74-1.14). These sex-specific findings extended to continuous measures of glucose homeostasis. LBW was associated with higher diabetes prevalence in Brazilian women, and in men with maternal diabetes, suggesting sex-specific intrauterine effects on adult metabolic health.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yarmolinsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.|Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Noel T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.|Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.affiliation: National School of Public Health, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dóra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chor
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.|Center for Clinical and Epidemiological Research, University Hospital, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Isabela M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Bensenor
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Health and Environment Education, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosane H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Griep
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.|Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Appel
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sandhi M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.|Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Maria Inês
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000097:blood*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose