Abstract
We studied the effect of birth size on glucose and insulin metabolism among old non-diabetic individuals. We also explored the combined effect of birth size and midlife body mass index (BMI) on type 2 diabetes in old age. Our study comprised 1,682 Icelanders whose birth records included anthropometrical data. The same individuals had participated in the prospective population-based Reykjavik Study, where BMI was assessed at a mean age of 47 years, and in the AGES-Reykjavik Study during 2002 to 2006, where fasting glucose, insulin and HbA1c were measured and homeostasis model assessment for the degree of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) calculated at a mean age of 75.5 years. Type 2 diabetes was determined as having a history of diabetes, using glucose-modifying medication or fasting glucose of >7.0 mmol/l. Of the participants, 249 had prevalent type 2 diabetes in old age. Lower birth weight and body length were associated with higher fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR and HbA1c among old non-diabetic individuals. Higher birth weight and ponderal index at birth decreased the risk for type 2 diabetes in old age, odds ratio (OR), 0.61 [95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.48–0.79] and 0.96 (95 % CI, 0.92–1.00), respectively. Compared with those with high birth weight and low BMI in midlife, the odds of diabetes was almost five-fold for individuals with low birth weight and high BMI (OR, 4.93; 95 % CI, 2.14–11.37). Excessive weight gain in adulthood might be particularly detrimental to the health of old individuals with low birth weight.
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Acknowledgements
The AGES-Reykjavik Study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (N01-AG-1-2100), National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Hjartavernd (the Icelandic Heart Association) and the Althingi (the Icelandic Parliament). The Reyjavik Study was funded by the Icelandic Heart Association. M.B.vB. was supported by grants from the Academy of Finland; University of Jyväskylä; Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation and Fulbright Center, the Finland–US Educational Exchange Commission. I.T. was supported by grants from The Icelandic Research Council and Research Fund of the University of Iceland. The Gerontology Research Center is a joint effort between the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Tampere, Finland.
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von Bonsdorff, M.B., Muller, M., Aspelund, T. et al. Persistence of the effect of birth size on dysglycaemia and type 2 diabetes in old age: AGES-Reykjavik Study. AGE 35, 1401–1409 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-012-9427-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-012-9427-5