Research
Hormonal
Low birth weight combined with rapid postnatal weight gain increases the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in adulthood.
For those with a history of low birth weight, prioritize maintaining a healthy weight and metabolic health through balanced nutrition and physical activity to mitigate the additive risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Low birth weight and excess weight gain in adulthood are additive risk factors for the comorbidities of obesity, particularly insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Why this rating
Based on retrospective reviews and studies of famine survivors and animal models.
Source
The Global Epidemic of Obesity: An Overview
B. Caballero · Epidemiologic Reviews · 2007
DOI 10.1093/epirev/mxm012
narrative_reviewCited 1,245×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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