Effect of birth weight and postnatal weight gain on body composition in early infancy The Generation R Study

Rapid postnatal weight gain is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes in later life. The influence of rapid weight gain on body composition in early infancy is still unknown and the critical periods of weight gain for later disease are debated. To investigate the effect of birth weight and rapid weight gain on body composition in the first 6 months of life. The Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study from fetal life onwards. We measured body fat and fat distribution by skinfold thickness at the age of 6 weeks and 6 months in 909 Dutch term infants. Analyses were adjusted for current body mass index, sex and maternal socioeconomic status, pre-pregnancy body mass index, height and duration of breastfeeding. Upward postnatal weight percentile change was associated with increased skinfold thickness, percentage body fat at 6 weeks and 6 months and a larger truncal/peripheral fat ratio at 6 months (p