Abstract
We evaluated the growth patterns of infants born large-for-gestational-age (LGA) from birth to age 1 year compared to those born appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA). In addition, we investigated possible epigenetic changes associated with being born LGA. Seventy-one newborns were classified by birth weight as AGA (10th–90th percentile; n = 42) or LGA (>90th percentile; n = 29). Post-natal follow-up until age 1 year was performed with clinical assessments at 3, 6, and 12 months. Genome-wide DNA methylation was analysed on umbilical tissue in 19 AGA and 27 LGA infants. At birth, LGA infants had greater weight (p < 0.0001), length (p < 0.0001), ponderal index (p = 0.020), as well as greater head (p < 0.0001), chest (p = 0.044), and abdominal (p = 0.007) circumferences than AGA newborns. LGA infants were still larger at the age of 3 months, but by age 6 months there were no more differences between groups, due to higher length and weight increments in AGA infants between 0 and 6 months (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Genome-wide analysis showed no epigenetic differences between LGA and AGA infants. Overall, LGA infants had slower growth in early infancy, being anthropometrically similar to AGA infants by 6 months of age. In addition, differences between AGA and LGA newborns were not associated with epigenetic changes.
Highlights
Born LGA were 4.6 and 2.2 times more likely to be overweight at 6 and 12 months of age than AGA infants[9]
Greater central adiposity has been found at age 12 months in those LGA infants born of mothers with gestational diabetes[10]
The same applied to LGA subjects, except that LGA participants had greater abdominal circumference than LGA infants excluded (p = 0.004)
Summary
Born LGA were 4.6 and 2.2 times more likely to be overweight at 6 and 12 months of age than AGA infants[9]. Sustained changes in growth and metabolism following an adverse fetal or early neonatal environment have been associated with mechanisms involving environmental regulation of gene expression[11]. Environmental factors can trigger long-lasting changes through these epigenetic processes, which regulate gene expression without affecting the genetic sequence[12,13,14], such as DNA methylation[15]. In the present study we aimed to evaluate the growth patterns of infants born LGA from birth to age 1 year in comparison to those born AGA. We aimed to assess whether there were epigenetic changes at birth associated with being born LGA
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