Table 1. Studies that associate birthweight to muscle mass and strength later in life.
| Author | Place | Age | Measurements | Associations among birthweight, body composition, and muscle strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children and Adolescents | ||||
| (Lapillonne et al., 1997) | France | 2d | DXA | SGA (vs. AGA): less LM and FM at the same GA |
| (Hediger et al., 1998) | U.S. | 2-47m | ANTH | SGA (vs. LGA): less lower arm muscle area, % body fat less affected |
| (Singhal et al., 2003) | U.K. | 7-16y | ANTH; BIA, DXA | BW positively correlated with FFM, not FM or BMI; Adjusted for age, sex, puberty, SES, PA |
| (Murphy et al., 2006) | U.K. | ∼6y | ANTH; BIA | BW positively correlated with FFM and FM; Adjusted for BMI |
| (Joglekar et al., 2007) | India | 6-7y | ANTH; DXA | BW positively correlated with FFM and FM; Adjusted for GA, age |
| (Chomtho et al., 2008)* | U.K. | 4-20y | ANTH; DXA, air-plethysmography, 2H-dilution | BW positively correlated with FFM (males), not FM or % fat; Adjusted for Ht, puberty, PA, SES, ethnicity, parental BMI |
| (Ortega et al., 2009) | Spain | 13-18y | ANTH; grip strength | BW positively correlated with Ht, BMI, FFM, fat %, WC, and grip strength (grip strength attributed to FFM) |
| (Baker et al., 2010) | U.S. | 2m - 8y | ANTH | LBW (vs. NBW): less growth of arm muscle area; Adjusted for sex, ethnicity, SES, body size |
| (Moura-Dos-Santos et al., 2013) | Brazil | 7-10y | ANTH; grip strength | LBW (vs. HBW): lower grip strength and running speed; Adjusted for age, sex, Wt, PA, FFM |
| Young adulthood | ||||
| (Kahn et al., 2000) | U.S. | 17-22y M | ANTH | BW positively correlated with BMI and MTC+bone area, not % body fat |
| (Loos et al., 2001)‡ | Belgiu m | 18-34y M twins | ANTH; BIA | BW positively correlated with LM, inversely correlated with % body fat, W-H ratio; Heavier (vs. lighter) twin was taller, less FM, more LM; Adjusted for adult Wt |
| (Loos et al., 2002)‡ | Belgiu m | 18-34y F twins | ANTH; BIA | BW positively correlated with LM, inversely correlation with % body fat, W-H ratio; Heavier (vs. lighter) twin was taller; Adjusted for adult Wt |
| (Sachdev et al., 2005) | India | 26-32y | ANTH | BW positively correlated with Ht and LM (both sexes) and BMI and FM (women only); Adjusted for age, education, occupation, alcohol use, smoking, PA, parity, SES |
| (Brutsaert et al., 2011) | U.S. | ∼20y F | Hydro-densitometry; grip strength | Low PI (vs. high PI): lower grip strength, lower max isometric contraction, higher rate of fatigue, and diminished training response; adjusted for FFM |
| Older adulthood | ||||
| (Gale et al., 2001) | U.K. | 70-75y | Anthropometrics; DXA | BW positively correlated with LM and Ht, inversely correlated with FM; Adjusted for age, sex, Ht, Wt |
| (Eriksson et al., 2002) | Finland | 65-75y | ANTH; BIA | BW, PI, and length at birth positively correlated with FFM |
| (Sayer et al., 2004) | U.K. | ∼64y M | ANTH; grip strength | BW positively correlated with FFM, BMI, MUAC, MTC, and grip strength; not % body fat, W-H ratio, and grip strength; Adjusted for SES, PA, smoking, alcohol use |
| (Kensara et al., 2005) | U.K. | 64-72y M | ANTH; DXA, Air-plethysmography | LBW (vs. HBW): less FFM, less muscle, higher % body fat, lower MTF ratio, and central fat distribution; Adjusted for Wt plus Ht, SES, PA, smoking |
| (Yliharsila et al., 2007) | Finland | 56-70y | ANTH; BIA; grip strength | BW positively correlated with lean mass and grip strength, inversely correlated with % body fat; Adjusted for age/adult Ht, age/adult BMI, mat size, age, smoking, PA, SES |
| (Skidmore et al., 2009)*† | U.K. | 18-80y twins | ANTH; DXA | BW positively correlated with LM, FM, and MTF ratio; Both within-pair and between-pair effects noted; Adjusted for age and BMI |
| (Patel et al., 2012) | U.K. | 68-76y M | ANTH; muscle biopsy; DXA | LBW (vs. HBW): less FFM, higher % body fat, and lower fiber score (myofiber density × leg lean mass); fiber score attenuated when adjusted for age, Ht, PA |
Birthweight (BW) obtained from birth records or birth certificates.
*
indicates BW obtained by recall;
†
GA unknown;
‡
GA >35 wks. Both sexes were included unless noted by M, males or F, females only.
Abbreviations: d, days; m, months; y, years; GA, gestational age; M, male; F, female; PI, ponderal index; LBW, low BW; NBW, normal BW; HBW, high BW; SGA, small for GA; AGA, appropriate for GA; LGA, large for GA; WC, waist circumference; W-H, waist to hip; MTF, muscle-to-fat; FFM, fat free mass; FM, fat mass; LM, lean mass; MUAC, midupper arm circumference; MTC, midthigh circumference; HC, hip circumference; SES, socioeconomic status; PA, physical activity; BIA, bioelectrical impedance; DXA, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; ANTH, anthropometrics