Higher Weight at 12 Months of Age Increases Risk of Islet Autoimmunity

(HealthDay News) – Development of islet autoimmunity and multiple islet autoantibodies appears to be related to weight z-scores at age 12 months, according to a study published in Diabetes.

Helena Elding Larsson, MD, PhD, from Lund University in Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues examined the correlation between weight, height, and development of persistent islet autoimmunity and progression to type 1 diabetes during the first 4 years of life. The correlations were examined in a cohort of 7468 children at genetic risk of type 1 diabetes.

The researchers found that development of islet autoimmunity correlated with weight z-scores at 12 months (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.16 per 1.14 kg in males or per 1.02 kg in females; P<0.001); no correlation was seen at 24 or 36 months. There was a similar correlation noted for weight z-scores with development of multiple islet autoantibodies, with significant correlations at 12 and 24 months (HR: 1.21 and 1.18, respectively). There was no correlation between weight or height with type 1 diabetes.

“In conclusion, greater weight in the first years of life was associated with an increased risk of development of islet autoimmunity,” the authors write.

Reference

1. Larsson HE, Vehik K, Haller MJ, et al. Growth and risk for islet autoimmunity and progression to type 1 diabetes in early childhood: The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young Study. Diabetes. 2016; doi: 10.2337/db15-1180.