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Birth weight and muscle strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Birth weight and muscle strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Birth weight and muscle strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective: Lower muscle strength is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes in later life. The variation in muscle strength between individuals is only partly accounted for by factors in adult life such as body size and physical activity. The aim of this review was to assess the strength of the association between intrauterine development (indicated by birth weight) and subsequent muscle strength.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that assessed the association between birth weight and subsequent muscle strength.

Results: Nineteen studies met inclusion criteria with 17 studies showing that higher birth weight was associated with greater muscle strength. Grip strength was used as a single measure of muscle strength in 15 studies. Meta-analysis (13 studies, 20 481 participants, mean ages 9.3 to 67.5) showed a 0.86 kg (95% CI 0.58, 1.15) increase in muscle strength per additional kilogram of birth weight, after adjustment for age, gender and height at the time of strength measurement.

Conclusion: This review has found consistent evidence of a positive association between birth weight and muscle strength which is maintained across the lifecourse. Future work will be needed to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying this association, but it suggests the potential benefit of an early intervention to help people maintain muscle strength in later life.

birth weight, muscle strength, sarcopenia, muscle development, developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis
1279-7707
609-615
Dodds, R.
2f7c0dea-4cd7-4f91-9fd2-a5ff20706870
Denison, H.J.
dbe5f26d-6323-4477-9519-c826869b7810
Ntani, G.
9b009e0a-5ab2-4c6e-a9fd-15a601e92be5
Cooper, R.
6cd7b578-a1fa-4511-bc7d-9addc4baf372
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Sayer, A.A.
fb4c2053-6d51-4fc1-9489-c3cb431b0ffb
Baird, Janis
f4bf2039-6118-436f-ab69-df8b4d17f824
Dodds, R.
2f7c0dea-4cd7-4f91-9fd2-a5ff20706870
Denison, H.J.
dbe5f26d-6323-4477-9519-c826869b7810
Ntani, G.
9b009e0a-5ab2-4c6e-a9fd-15a601e92be5
Cooper, R.
6cd7b578-a1fa-4511-bc7d-9addc4baf372
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Sayer, A.A.
fb4c2053-6d51-4fc1-9489-c3cb431b0ffb
Baird, Janis
f4bf2039-6118-436f-ab69-df8b4d17f824

Dodds, R., Denison, H.J., Ntani, G., Cooper, R., Cooper, C., Sayer, A.A. and Baird, Janis (2012) Birth weight and muscle strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 16 (7), 609-615. (doi:10.1007/s12603-012-0053-9). (PMID:22836701)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objective: Lower muscle strength is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes in later life. The variation in muscle strength between individuals is only partly accounted for by factors in adult life such as body size and physical activity. The aim of this review was to assess the strength of the association between intrauterine development (indicated by birth weight) and subsequent muscle strength.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that assessed the association between birth weight and subsequent muscle strength.

Results: Nineteen studies met inclusion criteria with 17 studies showing that higher birth weight was associated with greater muscle strength. Grip strength was used as a single measure of muscle strength in 15 studies. Meta-analysis (13 studies, 20 481 participants, mean ages 9.3 to 67.5) showed a 0.86 kg (95% CI 0.58, 1.15) increase in muscle strength per additional kilogram of birth weight, after adjustment for age, gender and height at the time of strength measurement.

Conclusion: This review has found consistent evidence of a positive association between birth weight and muscle strength which is maintained across the lifecourse. Future work will be needed to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying this association, but it suggests the potential benefit of an early intervention to help people maintain muscle strength in later life.

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More information

Published date: July 2012
Keywords: birth weight, muscle strength, sarcopenia, muscle development, developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis
Organisations: Faculty of Medicine

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 343052
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/343052
ISSN: 1279-7707
PURE UUID: 8cb2a6dd-da43-4423-b06c-d017f66c121d
ORCID for R. Dodds: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4968-7678
ORCID for C. Cooper: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0709
ORCID for Janis Baird: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4039-4361

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Date deposited: 24 Sep 2012 09:26
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 02:56

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Contributors

Author: R. Dodds ORCID iD
Author: H.J. Denison
Author: G. Ntani
Author: R. Cooper
Author: C. Cooper ORCID iD
Author: A.A. Sayer
Author: Janis Baird ORCID iD

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