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Copenhagen, Denmark – New research from the University of Copenhagen reveals that children born with low birth weight face heightened health risks if they become obese. This groundbreaking study, published in eBioMedicine, emphasizes the importance of tailored prevention and treatment strategies for this vulnerable group.
Obesity affects hundreds of millions worldwide, with a higher-than-optimal body mass index (BMI) increasing the risk of numerous cardiometabolic diseases. The World Health Organization attributes around five million deaths annually to elevated BMI. However, risk levels vary among individuals.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have identified a significant correlation between low birth weight and increased susceptibility to health complications from childhood obesity. “Our study shows that the link between low birth weight and cardiometabolic disease risk can be detected already in childhood—and that this is the case for both the actual birth weight and the genetic determinants of birth weight,” says Sara Stinson, postdoctoral research fellow and first author of the study.
The findings indicate that children born underweight or genetically predisposed to low birth weight are more vulnerable to health hazards such as excess visceral fat throughout their lives. Prior studies have established that people with high birth weight are more likely to develop a higher-than-optimal BMI, while those with low birth weight face a higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
To delve deeper into these risk factors, the research team analyzed data from The HOLBÆK Study, which includes over 4,000 Danish children and adolescents with varying weights. This cohort provided comprehensive health-related information, including birth weight, BMI, clinical evaluations, blood samples, biomarkers, and a polygenic score for birth weight—a measure combining the effects of numerous genetic variants related to birth weight.
The study highlighted that childhood obesity poses greater health risks for those born underweight. For instance, these children exhibit decreased insulin sensitivity, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Pauline Kromann Reim, Ph.D. student at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, notes, “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.”
The researchers suggest that underdeveloped subcutaneous fat in underweight babies leads to increased visceral fat storage, which surrounds internal organs and elevates health risks, including type 2 diabetes. Additionally, low birth weight children were found to have higher levels of liver fat and obesity-related biomarkers, further increasing their risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases early in life.
Given these findings, Clinical Associate Professor Jens Christian Holm from The Children’s Obesity Clinic at Copenhagen University Hospital Holbæk, and co-senior author, advocates for customized prevention and treatment strategies. “Such targeted strategies could potentially reduce their risk of developing obesity-related cardiometabolic complications,” says Holm.
Professor Torben Hansen, also a co-senior author from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, adds, “Early intervention and more precision in who to treat and who not to treat are key elements in the battle against cardiometabolic disease.”
For further details, refer to the full study: Sara Stinson et al., The interplay between birth weight and obesity in determining childhood and adolescent cardiometabolic risk, eBioMedicine (2024).
