Low Birth Weight and Catch-up-growth Associated with Metabolic Syndrome: a Ten Year Systematic Review

Objective: We conducted a systematic review in order to: i. summarize the relationship between low birth weight, catch-up-growth and the metabolic syndrome, from publications during the past 10 years; and ii. study the potential role of an alternative nutritional approach to side effects of catch-up-growth.

Methods: We reviewed all papers published in the past ten years assessing the possible association between low birth weight, catch-up-growth and the occurrence of some components of the metabolic syndrome, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Results: We found 57 studies which described the relationship between metabolic syndrome associated features and low birth weight and catch-up-growth. The majority of the studies in children, adolescents and adults born small for gestational age (SGA) suggested that insulin resistance could represent the prelude to other metabolic disorders.

Conclusions: Both low birth weight and catch-up-growth seem to correlate with some aspects of a later metabolic syndrome.