Impact of growth patterns and early diet on obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in young children from developing countries

Abstract

Non-communicable chronic diseases are now a worldwide epidemic. Diet and physical activity throughout life are among its main determinants. In countries undergoing the early stages of the nutrition transition weight gain from birth to 2 years of life is related to lean mass gain, while ponderal gain after age 2 years is related to adiposity and later diabetes and CVD risk. Evidence from developing countries undergoing the more advanced stages of the nutrition transition is limited. The early growth patterns of a cohort of Chilean children born in 2002 with normal birth weight who at 4 years had a high prevalence of obesity and CVD risk factors have been assessed. Results indicate that BMI gain in early life, particularly from 6 months to 24 months, is positively associated with adiposity and CVD risk status at 4 years. These results together with existing evidence suggest that actions to prevent obesity and nutrition-related chronic diseases in developing countries should start early in life, possibly after 6 months of age. This approach should consider assessing the effect of mode of feeding and the amount and type of energy fed, as well as the resulting growth patterns. The challenge for researchers addressing the nutrition transition is to define the optimal nutrition in early life, considering not only the short-and long-term health consequences but also taking into account the stage of the nutritional transition for the given population of interest. The latter will probably require redefining optimal postnatal growth based on the context of maternal size and fetal growth.

Timing of Introduction of Complementary Food: Short- and Long-Term Health Consequences

“…A relationship between a higher weight-for-length z-score at birth and a greater change in weight-for-length z-score or BMI from birth to 6 months and 6–24 months with an increased risk of obesity at 3–4 years of age was found in two prospective cohort studies, but there was no effect of an introduction of complementary food before the age of 4 months [66,67]. …”

Individual and school environment factors associated with overweight in adolescents of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Literature reviews (that have analysed information of developing and developed countries) have highlighted that the total *Corresponding author: Email leticiaocar@ensp.fiocruz.br r The Authors 2011 amount of energy from the diet, the frequency of consumption of soft drinks, the absence of breast-feeding in the beginning of life, the frequency and intensity of exercising, the time spent in sedentary activities (mainly the amount of time watching television), having one or both parents obese and the socio-economic level of parents, among other factors, are associated with overweight in childhood or adolescence (7)(8)(9) . Specifically in developing countries, some factors have stood out in the literature: the fast growth and weight gain in early childhood (10,11) and aspects related to diet, such as the number of meals and the unsatisfactory standard of having meals (12,13) . Studies on the influence of the environment on the occurrence of obesity are relatively recent.…”

Mapping the key issues shaping the landscape of global public health

“…The second is around demographic shifts, including issues of ageing and population growth. These clusters reflect significant on-going debates regarding changing disease patterns (e.g., Stevens et al 2008, Corvalán et al 2009, Samb et al 2010) and population structure (e.g., Bloom et al 2003, Robinson et al 2007) and fall clearly within the 'framing' domain of changing health and prevention needs, which is the focus of the paper by Cáceres and Mendoza (2012).…”