Hormonal
Postnatal catch-up growth (defined as a weight SD score gain >0.67 between birth and two years) in children who were small or thin at birth is a significant risk factor for increased body mass index, percentage body fat, and central fat distribution (waist circumference) by five years of age.
If your baby was born small or thin but gains weight rapidly during the first two years of life, they are at a higher risk of being overweight or having higher body fat by age five. This does not mean you should restrict food, but it suggests that monitoring their growth trajectory and maintaining a healthy lifestyle as they grow is important to mitigate long-term metabolic risks.
Children who showed catch-up growth between zero and two years were heavier, taller, and fatter (body mass index, percentage body fat, and waist circumference) at five years than other children.
Why this rating
Prospective cohort study with a large sample size (n=848) and rigorous longitudinal measurements, though observational design limits causal inference.
Source
Association between postnatal catch-up growth and obesity in childhood: prospective cohort study
K. K L Ong · BMJ · 2000
DOI 10.1136/bmj.320.7240.967
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