The effect of antenatal factors and postnatal growth on serum adiponectin levels in children.

Low levels of serum adiponectin (i.e. hypoadiponectinaemia) are a marker of cardiometabolic risk in overweight children. It is not clear whether early-life factors may play a role in the development of hypoadiponectinaemia. We investigated whether antenatal factors and postnatal growth are associated with childhood adiponectin levels. This was an observational study in a birth cohort (Vulnerable Windows Cohort Study). Anthropometry was measured at birth, at 6 weeks, every 3 months up to 2 years and then every 6 months. Fasting glucose, insulin, lipids and adiponectin were measured at a mean age 11.5 years. Data on 323 children were analysed with age- and sex-adjusted multivariate analyses. The sizes of mother, placenta, fetus and newborn were not significantly associated with adiponectin levels. Current weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, waist circumference, glucose, insulin resistance [homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)], triglycerides and systolic blood pressure were inversely related to adiponectin (P < 0.05). Faster growth in BMI during late infancy and childhood was associated with lower adiponectin levels (P < 0.05). After adjusting for current waist circumference, faster growth in BMI during early infancy was positively associated with adiponectin (P < 0.01). Faster growth in BMI during childhood was inversely associated (P < 0.001). These associations were similar after adjusting for HOMA-IR. We concluded that antenatal factors are not determinants of childhood adiponectin levels. Faster growth in BMI during infancy is associated with higher levels, whereas faster rates during childhood are associated with hypoadiponectinaemia. Hypoadiponectinaemia is a marker of a more adverse cardiometabolic profile in Afro-Caribbean children.

The effect of feto-maternal size and childhood growth on left ventricular mass and arterial stiffness in Afro-Caribbean children.

We hypothesized that maternal size, fetal size and childhood growth are associated with childhood blood pressure, left ventricular mass (LVM) and arterial stiffness. The Vulnerable Windows Cohort is a longitudinal study of 569 mothers and their offspring. Anthropometry was measured on each child at birth, at 6 weeks, once in 3 months upto 2 years and then every 6 months. Blood pressure and body composition were assessed in 185 children (age 11.5 years) and echocardiography performed. LVM was not associated with maternal size after adjustment for child's weight. LVM was significantly associated with faster growth in childhood and with current weight, fat mass and lean mass. Systolic blood pressure was not related to maternal, fetal or newborn anthropometry, but was positively associated with infant and childhood growth, as well as current body size and fat mass. The pulse pressure/stroke volume ratio (an index of arterial stiffness) was inversely associated with maternal size, placental volume at 20 weeks, fetal size at 35 weeks and childhood growth even after adjustment for current weight. In conclusion, LVM in childhood is positively associated with maternal height, child's current size and rate of growth. Arterial stiffness is inversely related to maternal, fetal and placental size as well as growth throughout childhood.

Predictors of physical activity energy expenditure in Afro-Caribbean children.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that maternal size during pregnancy and birth size are determinants of childhood physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE). Also, childhood PAEE is inversely related to adiposity and levels of cardiovascular risk factors. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The Vulnerable Windows Cohort Study is a longitudinal observational study of 569 Afro-Jamaican mothers recruited from the first trimester and their offspring. Anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance, PAEE (using the Actical monitor) and cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin and lipids) were measured in 124 boys and 160 girls at a mean age of 13.2 years. RESULTS: Boys had more fat-free mass (FFM) and expended more energy than girls (12.3±3.3 vs 9.6±2.8 kcal/kg/day; P<0.001). Maternal weight was associated with child's PAEE (r=0.29; P<0.001). PAEE was not significantly associated with birth weight. Maternal weight, after adjusting for child's age and sex, was positively associated with the child's FFM, fat mass and %fat (P-values 0.01). Age- and sex-adjusted PAEE was positively associated with FFM, fat mass and % fat (P-values <0.001), but not after adjusting for current weight. Age- and sex-adjusted PAEE was positively associated with triglycerides, insulin and systolic blood pressure (P-values <0.05), but not after adjusting for weight and height. PAEE was associated with fasting glucose after controlling for age, sex, weight and height (r=-0.12; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal size, but not birth weight, is a determinant of childhood PAEE. PAEE is not strongly associated with childhood body composition, but is inversely related to fasting glucose concentration.

Resting metabolic rate and body composition in stunted and nonstunted children.

The resting metabolic rate (RMR) and body composition of 34 stunted children (height-for-age < or = 1.5 SD) aged 7-8 y were compared with that of two groups of nonstunted control subjects (height-for-age > or = -1.0 SD) matched for either age and sex or height and sex. No significant group differences were found in percentage lean body mass (LBM). The RMR of the stunted children (4702 +/- 570 kJ/d) was significantly lower than that of both the age-matched (5802 +/- 616 kJ/d) and height-matched (5269 +/- 663 kJ/d) groups (ANOVA, P < 0.001). However, in a multiple-regression model including sex and LBM, the RMRs of the stunted and age-matched groups were not significantly different, suggesting that the stunted children's smaller LBM accounted for their lower RMR. This suggests that the composition and metabolic activity of the LBM is unaffected by stunting. The younger, height-matched control subjects had significantly higher RMRs than the stunted children after adjustment for LBM (P < 0.001). This may have been due to age-related changes in the composition of LBM.