Size at Birth, Obesity and Blood Pressure at Age Five

Background: The fetal origins hypothesis indicates that morphometric evidence of fetal nutritional deprivation is predictive of excessive weight gain/obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease after birth. However, it is unclear whether these effects are present in offspring with “normal” birth weights in contemporary Western society, whether they are population specific, and how early in life they appear. This study was designed to examine these questions in a select populace of morphometrically diverse offspring to test the null hypothesis that morphometric evidence of nutritional restriction in utero has no effect on the presence of either obesity or increased blood pressure at ages 5 and 6. Methods: We present a prospective study of 101 offspring born of well-nourished, middle and upper socioeconomic-class women who participated in studies of diet and exercise during pregnancy. At birth and age 5 to 6 the offspring underwent morphometric evaluation with the additional measurement of blood...