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Low birth weight, early growth and chronic disease in later life

Low birth weight, early growth and chronic disease in later life
Low birth weight, early growth and chronic disease in later life
Low birth weight is now known to be associated with increased rates of coronary heart disease and the related disorders stroke, hypertension and non-insulin dependent diabetes. These associations have been extensively replicated in studies in different countries and are not the result of confounding variables. They extend across the normal range of birth weight and depend on lower birth weights in relation to the duration of gestation rather than the effects of premature birth. The associations are thought to be consequences of developmental plasticity, the phenomenon by which one genotype can give rise to a range of different physiological or morphological states in response to different environmental conditions during development. Recent observations have shown that impaired growth in infancy and rapid childhood weight gain exacerbate the effects of impaired prenatal growth. This is an important finding for pediatric health professionals given that promoting weight gain during infancy is standard practice.
12-20
Barker, D.J.P.
64c6005a-eea7-4c26-8f07-50d875998512
Barker, D.J.P.
64c6005a-eea7-4c26-8f07-50d875998512

Barker, D.J.P. (2003) Low birth weight, early growth and chronic disease in later life. Paediatric Basics, 104, 12-20.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Low birth weight is now known to be associated with increased rates of coronary heart disease and the related disorders stroke, hypertension and non-insulin dependent diabetes. These associations have been extensively replicated in studies in different countries and are not the result of confounding variables. They extend across the normal range of birth weight and depend on lower birth weights in relation to the duration of gestation rather than the effects of premature birth. The associations are thought to be consequences of developmental plasticity, the phenomenon by which one genotype can give rise to a range of different physiological or morphological states in response to different environmental conditions during development. Recent observations have shown that impaired growth in infancy and rapid childhood weight gain exacerbate the effects of impaired prenatal growth. This is an important finding for pediatric health professionals given that promoting weight gain during infancy is standard practice.

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Published date: 2003

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Local EPrints ID: 25231
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/25231
PURE UUID: 781bf9f1-48c0-4317-a191-2de494e83b0b

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Date deposited: 12 Apr 2006
Last modified: 22 Jul 2022 20:30

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Author: D.J.P. Barker

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