6533b86efe1ef96bd12cbac1

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Birth weight, adult weight, and cardiovascular biomarkers : Evidence from the Cardiovascular Young Finns Study

Jaakko PehkonenJutta ViinikainenJaana T. KariPetri BöckermanTerho LehtimäkiJorma ViikariOlli Raitakari

subject

adult BMIbirth weighttriglyseriditbiomarkkerit3121 Internal medicine3142 Public health care science environmental and occupational healthmonimuuttujamenetelmätLDL cholesterolkausaliteettisydän- ja verisuonitauditsyntymäpainomultivariable Mendelian randomizationLDL-kolesteroli3111 Biomedicinepainoindeksigeneettiset tekijättriglyceridescausal mediation

description

This study quantifies the causal effect of birth weight on cardiovascular biomarkers in adulthood using the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS). We apply a multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) method that provides a novel approach to improve inference in causal analysis based on a mediation framework. The results show that birth weight is linked to triglyceride levels (β = −0.294; 95% CI [−0.591, 0.003]) but not to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels (β = 0.007; 95% CI [−0.168, 0.183]). The total effect of birth weight on triglyceride levels is partly offset by a mediation pathway linking birth weight to adult BMI (β = 0.111; 95% CI [−0.013, 0.234]). The negative total effect is consistent with the fetal programming hypothesis. The positive indirect effect via adult BMI highlights the persistence of body weight throughout a person's life and the adverse effects of high BMI on health. The results are consistent with previous findings that both low birth weight and weight gain increase health risks in adulthood. publishedVersion Peer reviewed

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2021-12-12
10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106894https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/136116