This study was conducted to examine the association between birth weight and adult intra-abdominal (visceral) and subcutaneous abdominal fat (measured by ultrasonography) in the population-based Fenland study. Data from a total of 1,092 adults (437 men and 655 women) aged 30-55 years were analyzed. An inverse association between birth weight and total abdominal fat (estimated by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) as well as intra-abdominal fat, but not subcutaneous abdominal fat was found. These associations were observed only after adjustment for body mass index (BMI). Moreover, the association between birth weight and intra-abdominal fat was modified by BMI. For instance, the association between lower birth weight and higher intra-abdominal fat was only observed in the highest adult BMI tertile. Therefore, the authors suggest that the dependency of the association between birth weight and adult intra-abdominal fat on the adjustment for adult BMI indicates the possibility that rapid postnatal weight gain, rather than lower birth weight alone contributes to the variation in intra-abdominal fat.
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