TY  - JOUR
A1  - Tian, Mei
A1  - Reichetzeder, Christoph
A1  - Li, Jian
A1  - Hocher, Berthold
T1  - Low birth weight, a risk factor for diseases in later life, is a surrogate of insulin resistance at birth
JF  - Journal of hypertension
N2  - Low birth weight (LBW) is associated with diseases in adulthood. The birthweight attributed risk is independent of confounding such as gestational age, sex of the newborn but also social factors. The birthweight attributed risk for diseases in later life holds for the whole spectrum of birthweight. This raises the question what pathophysiological principle is actually behind the association. In this review, we provide evidence that LBW is a surrogate of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance has been identified as a key factor leading to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease as well as kidney diseases. We first provide evidence linking LBW to insulin resistance during intrauterine life. This might be caused by both genetic (genetic variations of genes controlling glucose homeostasis) and/or environmental factors (due to alterations of macronutrition and micronutrition of the mother during pregnancy, but also effects of paternal nutrition prior to conception) leading via epigenetic modifications to early life insulin resistance and alterations of intrauterine growth, as insulin is a growth factor in early life. LBW is rather a surrogate of insulin resistance in early life - either due to inborn genetic or environmental reasons - rather than a player on its own.
KW  - epigenetics
KW  - fetal programing
KW  - genetics
KW  - insulin resistance
KW  - low birth weight
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000002156
SN  - 0263-6352
SN  - 1473-5598
VL  - 37
IS  - 11
SP  - 2123
EP  - 2134
PB  - Kluwer
CY  - Philadelphia
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Friebel, Francis
A1  - Hermanussen, Michael
A1  - Scheffler, Christiane
T1  - Popular ideas and convictions about factors influencing the growth as well as the adult height of children
BT  - a German-French comparison
JF  - Journal of biological and clinical anthropology : Anthropologischer Anzeiger ; Mitteilungsorgan der Gesellschaft für Anthropologie
N2  - Common knowledge suggests that growth in height is influenced by nutrition, genetics, health, and environmental and general living conditions. In addition, modern studies showed that also social mobility and dominance within the social group, may significantly affect adolescent growth and final height. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of popular ideas and beliefs about factors influencing the growth on the biology of child and adolescent growth. We hypothesized that these beliefs are culture-specific and age-dependent. We investigated 307 French and 315 German participants of all age-groups. We collected polarising statements by questionnaire that the participants had to agree or disagree on. French participants see a connection between nutrition and the body height of children. This is different in Germany and may be due to the fact that French food culture is more traditional. Genetic factors were generally overestimated and considered as the most important determinants of longitudinal-growth. The participants denied an influence of disease and social status. Participants over 35 years of age considered adult height to be independent of environmental factors. In conclusion, popular beliefs partly depend on culture and appear to change with age as a result of growing experience.
KW  - nutrition
KW  - genetics
KW  - health
KW  - environmental and general living conditions
KW  - child growth
KW  - adolescent growth
KW  - final height
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2019/0972
SN  - 0003-5548
VL  - 76
IS  - 5
SP  - 365
EP  - 370
PB  - Schweizerbart
CY  - Stuttgart
ER  -