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Review
. 2024 Sep 2;16(17):2939.
doi: 10.3390/nu16172939.

Rapid Growth between 0 and 2 Years Old in Healthy Infants Born at Term and Its Relationship with Later Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Evidence

Luz Doñate Carramiñana  1 , Cristina Guillén Sebastián  2   3 , Iris Iglesia Altaba  2   3   4 , Carlos Nagore Gonzalez  2 , Maria Luisa Alvarez Sauras  2   3 , Sheila García Enguita  2   3 , Gerardo Rodriguez Martinez  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Rapid Growth between 0 and 2 Years Old in Healthy Infants Born at Term and Its Relationship with Later Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Evidence

Luz Doñate Carramiñana et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Introduction: Rapid growth in early childhood has been identified as a possible risk factor for long-term adiposity. However, there is a lack of studies quantifying this phenomenon only in healthy, full-term infants with appropriate birth weight for gestational age. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association of rapid growth in full-term children up to 2 years of age with adiposity up to 18 years of age.

Methodology: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science.

Results: 14 studies were included. We were unable to find strong evidence that rapid growth in early childhood is a risk factor for long-term adiposity. Rapid growth in early childhood was associated with taller heights (standardized mean difference: 0.51 (CI: 0.25-0.77)) and higher body mass index (standardized mean difference: 0.50 (CI: 0.25-0.76)) and a higher risk of overweight under 18 years.

Conclusion: Rapid growth in early childhood in term infants with appropriate birth weight is associated with higher growth, body mass index, and risk of being overweight up to age 18, but further work is needed to identify the associations between early rapid growth and obesity later in adulthood.

Keywords: obesity; overweight; postnatal growth; programming; rapid weight gain.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram according to the PRISMA declaration.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the analysis of the mean difference in standard deviation of height [12,13,38,39].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of the analysis of the mean difference in standard deviation of weight [12,13,38,39].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of the analysis of the mean difference in standard deviation of BMI [12,13,38,43].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of the analysis of the difference in logarithmic odds ratios [12,13,39,40,43].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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