United States: Low-birth-weight babies who become obese children are more likely to face health issues like insulin stoppage and fatty liver, according to a recent study.
Lead researcher Sara Stinson from Oslo University Hospital suggests that being born with low birth weight or having genes for it could make individuals more prone to health problems, including excess belly fat, as they grow up.
Research Insights:
Prior research has previously linked low birth weight to a higher up risk of type 2 diabetes and high birth weight to an increased risk of overweight and obesity.
Researchers examined data from over 4,000 youngsters to gain a deeper understanding of these connections. The data included blood samples, medical records, birth weight, BMI, and a genetic health risk score connected to birth weight.
They discovered that gaining extra weight reduces a low-birth-weight child’s sensitivity to insulin.
According to Dr. Pauline Kromann Reim, a doctoral student at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Minnesota, “In children with obesity, we see near normal insulin sensitivity in children born with a high birth weight and drastically decreased insulin sensitivity in children with low birth weight.”
Experts Sayings:
However, children who are born underweight may have inadequate subcutaneous fat storage, according to experts. As a result, the fat cells in the skin’s layer are unable to grow to store additional fat. Rather, visceral fat—the fat the body accumulates around the organs—is the alternative.
In truth, subcutaneous fat is necessary for healthy bodily operation and poses no health risks. Conversely, increased visceral fat has been attached to a higher risk of a number of illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
although, low birth weight is been linked with increased liver fat, which reduces insulin sensitivity, according to research. This may help to explain why children with low birth weights are more likely to grow type 2 diabetes later in life.
The results indicate that kids with lower birth weight need major approaches to prevent and treat obesity and its related diseases, researchers said.