Although big babies can be viewed as healthy babies, a new international study has shown that women who were born heavy were on average nearly four kilograms heavier by their mid twenties and were also 50 per cent more likely to develop obesity.
The study, an international collaboration between the University of Auckland-based Liggins Institute in New Zealand and Uppsala University in Sweden, provides some of the strongest evidence yet that being born much heavier than average – known as ‘large for gestational age’, or LGA - puts a person at greater risk of developing obesity in adult life, regardless of length and body proportion at birth.
Researchers studied data from nearly 200,000 Swedish women who had their birth weight and length recorded in the Swedish Birth Register, and who were later assessed when they became pregnant at the average age of 26 years.
Approximately one in 16 of the women were born LGA, which means at or above the 95th percentile (in the top five per cent of the population) according to weight and/or length.
Lead investigator Dr José Derraik, an honourary researcher at the Liggins Institute and at Uppsala University, says this latest evidence of a link between birthweight and future obesity risk underlines the need to support healthier lifestyle changes across families and communities.
“One in four pregnant women in Aotearoa New Zealand is affected by obesity, and babies of mothers with obesity are more likely to be heavy or LGA. So, if we can address the obesity issue, fostering in particular healthier lifestyle choices, we will also reduce the numbers of babies born LGA, in turn lessening their risks of developing obesity later in life,” he says.
No need to panic if you were born heavy, though, says Dr Derraik. “Being at risk for something doesn’t mean you’ll get it. As with many conditions, once we’re aware of the risks we can offset them with a healthier diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep."
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