Prolonged Juvenile States and Delay of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Risk Factors: The Fels Longitudinal Study

Objectives To ascertain the influence of such a prolonged juvenile state on delaying the onset of the metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus later in life. Study design We define prolongation of a juvenile state as a retarded tempo of growth, determined by the timing of peak height velocity in each subject and relate the retarded tempo of growth to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus later in life by use of serial data of 237 study participants (119 men and 118 women) enrolled in the Fels Longitudinal study. Results Children who matured early tended to have greater body mass index, waist circumference, and percent of body fat and were more likely to have adverse cardiovascular risk profiles than children who matured late. The differences in these risk factors between early and late maturers were significant for percent body fat, fasting plasma triglycerides, and fasting plasma insulin. Conclusions The analyses disclosed a clear separation between early and late maturers in the appearance of these risk factors in young adulthood.