Although necessary for a normal final height in individuals who were born smal l for gestational age (SGA), catch-up growth is associated with drastic changes in body composition that have been suspected to favor the later development of the long-term metabolic complications by promoting central adiposity; however, the specific contribution of catch-up itself on these later complications remai ns unclear. Therefore, the aim of the study was to characterize the dynamic chan ges in adiposity during childhood in individuals who were born SGA and to invest igate their consequences on adulthood. The magnitude and the time course of post natal changes in body mass index (BMI) relative to birth and their consequences on adult adiposity were investigated in 127 adults who were born SGA and had ava ilable serial anthropometric data in childhood (0-6 y) and adulthood. Catch-up in BMI, observed in 91 %of individuals who were born SGA, was mostly completed within the first or second year of age. Overall, adult BMI was correlated with the magnitude of gain in BMI during childhood. However, this effect was signific ant only when this gain persisted after the first year of life. Similarly, the i nfluence of the magnitude in gain in BMI on the risk for adult BMI >25 kg/m2 was significantly influenced by the age at which the gain in BMI occurred. In summa ry, although the extent of catch-up in BMI affects adiposity in adulthood, this effect is mostly deleterious when occurring after 1 y of age, suggesting that a rapid catch-up process should be more suitable than a delayed one. Whether thi s observation holds through regarding the metabolic syndrome remains to be eluci dated.
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