Abnormal body mass index trajectories in childhood and possible health consequences

Abstract

Rolland-Cachera et al. proposed to include age at adiposity rebound and body mass index (BMI) trajectory among parameters that evaluated the metabolic individual risk factor and clustering estimation in children and adolescents. This suggestion is based on the known relationship between an early adiposity rebound (EAR) (that is, before 6 years of age) and BMI pattern.1 Moreover, the interest for BMI trajectory, showing low fatness in early childhood followed by high fatness associated with EAR, has progressively increased in the last decade together with the demonstrations of its health consequences later in life. In fact, longitudinal studies have shown an increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and obesity in subjects with small birth weight and thinness at age of 2 years followed by rapid weight gain.2, 3, 4