NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Prior research has linked low birth weights to the development of diabetes later in life. Now, new findings suggest that this is due to both poor growth as a fetus and to premature birth.

"Low birth weight is consistently associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood," Dr. Magnus Kaijser of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues write. Exactly how poor fetal growth and premature birth fit into the picture, however, was not known.

As reported in the journal Diabetes, the researchers identified a group of subjects born prematurely or with low birth weight at four delivery units in Sweden from 1925 through 1949. The development of diabetes in these groups was compared with that seen in a similar group of subjects who had normal birth weights and were born at full term.

A total of 6425 subjects were included in the study. Of these, 2931 were born prematurely (before the 37th week of pregnancy) and 2176 had a low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds), but were born at full term.

An analysis of hospital databases indicated that 508 of the subjects were treated for diabetes during follow-up from 1987 to 2006.

The authors found that subjects who were born very prematurely (before the 32nd week of pregnancy) were 67 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those born at term.

Similarly, birth weights that were much lower than the average weight for a given point in pregnancy increased the odds of diabetes by 76 percent.

"We have found that the association between low birth weight and risk for diabetes seems to be (the result of) both poor fetal growth and preterm birth," Kaijser and colleagues conclude.

SOURCE: Diabetes, March 2009.

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