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  • Pediatric Original Article
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Early adiposity rebound is associated with metabolic risk in 7-year-old children

International Journal of Obesity volume 38, pages 1299–1304 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Early adiposity rebound (AR <5 years) has been consistently associated with increased obesity risk, but its relationship with metabolic markers is less clear; in addition, the biologic mechanisms involved in these associations have not been established.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to assess the association between timing of AR and metabolic status at age 7 years, evaluating the potential role of adiposity, adipose functionality and skeletal maturation in this association.

Design:

We estimated the age of AR from the body mass index (BMI) trajectories from 0 to 7 years in 910 children from the Growth and Obesity Chilean Cohort Study (GOCS). At 7 years, we measured waist circumference (WC) and blood glucose, insulin, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels and constructed a metabolic risk score. We also measured percent fat mass (adiposity), plasma concentrations of leptin and adiponectin (adipose functionality) and bone age using wrist ultrasound (skeletal maturation).

Results:

We found that 44% of the children had an AR <5 years. Earlier AR was associated with larger WC (β: 5.10 (95% confidence interval (CI): 4.29–5.91)), higher glucose (β: 1.02 (1.00–1.03)), insulin resistance (β Homeostatic Model Assessment: 1.06 (1.03–1.09)), triglycerides (β: 10.37 (4.01–6.73)) and adverse metabolic score (β: 0.30 (0.02–0.37)). Associations decreased significantly if adiposity was added to the models (i.e. β WC: 0.85 (0.33–1.38)) and, to a lesser extent, when adipokines (i.e. β WC: 0.73 (0.14–1.32)) and skeletal maturation (i.e. β WC: 0.65 (0.10–1.20)) were added.

Conclusion:

In GOCS children, AR at a younger age predicts higher metabolic risk at 7 years; these associations are mostly explained by increased adiposity, but adipose dysfunction and accelerated skeletal maturation also have a role.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the study personnel, particularly to Daniela Gonzalez, for field work coordination; we are also indebted to all the GOCS participants who continue supporting our work. This work was supported by FONDECYT (grant no. 1090252). LG has an International Cooperation Agency of Chile Fellowship, and CC has a Wellcome Trust Training Fellowship.

Author Contributions

The authors' responsibilities were as follows: LG, CC, RU: designed the study; CC: planned analyses, LG: conducted the analyses and wrote the original draft of the article; and CC, JK, AP, MG and RU: helped edit the drafts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    L González, C Corvalán, A Pereira, J Kain, M L Garmendia & R Uauy

  2. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    R Uauy

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  1. L González
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  2. C Corvalán
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  3. A Pereira
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  4. J Kain
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  5. M L Garmendia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C Corvalán.

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González, L., Corvalán, C., Pereira, A. et al. Early adiposity rebound is associated with metabolic risk in 7-year-old children. Int J Obes 38, 1299–1304 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.97

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