Published Online
on August 23, 2004

A more recent version of this article appeared on September 7, 2004

This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 110/10/1258    most recent 01.CIR.0000140980.61294.4Dv1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Davies, A. A. Articles by Litchfield, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Davies, A. A. Articles by Litchfield, P. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Hazardous Substances DB CHOLESTEROL Related Collections Epidemiology

Submitted on October 22, 2003
Revised on May 20, 2004
Accepted on May 21, 2004

Low Birth Weight Is Associated With Higher Adult Total Cholesterol Concentration in Men. Findings From an Occupational Cohort of 25 843 Employees

Anna A. Davies MSc, George Davey Smith DSc^*, Yoav Ben-Shlomo FFPHM, and Paul Litchfield MB

From the Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol (A.A.D., G.D.S., Y.B.-S.), and British Telecom Occupational Health Service, London (P.L.), UK.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: zetkin{at}bristol.ac.uk.

Background--The majority of studies investigating the association between birth weight and adult total cholesterol (TC) concentration have been small and underpowered: not surprisingly, the findings have been inconsistent. We aimed to determine whether birth weight predicted adult TC in a large sample population.

Methods and Results--Between 1994 and 1996, 132 000 British Telecom employees undertook voluntary occupational health screening. Birth weight and lifestyle factors were self-reported; TC concentration and body size were measured by occupational health nurses. Complete measurements were available for 18 286 men and 7557 women (age range, 17 to 64 years). We found that sex and birth weight significantly interacted to predict adult TC (birth weight/sex interaction term, P=0.002). In men, lower birth weight was associated with higher adult TC levels (a -0.07 reduction in TC for each 1-kg increase in birth weight; 95% CI, -0.09 to -0.04 mmol/L; P<0.001), whereas no association was observed in women. Adjustment for potential confounding factors, including current body size and menopausal status, did not alter the findings. Analysis by SD score showed that in men, a 1-SD decrease in body mass index lowered TC concentration 5-fold more than a 1-SD increase in birth weight.

Conclusions--This is the largest study to investigate the association between birth weight and TC and suggests that the association may be dependent on sex. The absence of an association in women was not explained by menopausal status. The influence of fetal environment on adult TC is small compared with the influence of adult adiposity.

Key words: cholesterol • epidemiology • sex • birth weight

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G Libby, S. McEwan, A. Morris, and J. Belch No difference in the association between birth weight and total cholesterol for males and females. A SHARP (Scottish Heart and Arterial Disease Risk Prevention) study Vascular Medicine, November 1, 2008; 13(4): 271 - 274. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. W. J. Leunissen, G. F. Kerkhof, T. Stijnen, and A. C. S. Hokken-Koelega Fat Mass and Apolipoprotein E Genotype Influence Serum Lipoprotein Levels in Early Adulthood, whereas Birth Size Does Not J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., November 1, 2008; 93(11): 4307 - 4314. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Fraser, R. Hughes, A. McCarthy, K. Tilling, D. Davies, A. Rumley, G. D. O. Lowe, G. Davey Smith, and Y. Ben-Shlomo Early Life Growth and Hemostatic Factors: The Barry Caerphilly Growth Study Am. J. Epidemiol., July 15, 2008; 168(2): 179 - 187. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Kajantie, D. J P Barker, C. Osmond, T. Forsen, and J. G Eriksson Growth before 2 years of age and serum lipids 60 years later: The Helsinki Birth Cohort Study Int. J. Epidemiol., April 1, 2008; 37(2): 280 - 289. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Al Salmi, W. E. Hoy, S. Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan, Z. Wang, G. C. Gobe, E. L. M. Barr, and J. E. Shaw Disorders of Glucose Regulation in Adults and Birth Weight: Results from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) Study Diabetes Care, January 1, 2008; 31(1): 159 - 164. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A. Davies, G. D. Smith, M. T. May, and Y. Ben-Shlomo Association Between Birth Weight and Blood Pressure Is Robust, Amplifies With Age, and May Be Underestimated Hypertension, September 1, 2006; 48(3): 431 - 436. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Huxley, C. G. Owen, P. H. Whincup, D. G. Cook, S. Colman, and R. Collins Birth Weight and Subsequent Cholesterol Levels: Exploration of the "Fetal Origins" Hypothesis JAMA, December 8, 2004; 292(22): 2755 - 2764. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]