Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T11:11:28.288Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The relationship of birthweight, muscle size at birth and post-natal growth to grip strength in 9-year-old Indian children: findings from the Mysore Parthenon study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2010

J. G. Barr ,
S. R. Veena ,
K. N. Kiran ,
A. K. Wills ,
N. R. Winder ,
S. Kehoe ,
C. H. D. Fall ,
A. A. Sayer  and
G. V. Krishnaveni
J. G. Barr
Affiliation:
Southampton General Hospital, MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
S. R. Veena
Affiliation:
Epidemiology Research Unit, Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, South India
K. N. Kiran
Affiliation:
Epidemiology Research Unit, Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, South India
A. K. Wills
Affiliation:
Southampton General Hospital, MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
N. R. Winder
Affiliation:
Southampton General Hospital, MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
S. Kehoe
Affiliation:
Southampton General Hospital, MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
C. H. D. Fall
Affiliation:
Southampton General Hospital, MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
A. A. Sayer
Affiliation:
Southampton General Hospital, MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
G. V. Krishnaveni*
Affiliation:
Epidemiology Research Unit, Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, South India
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr G. V. Krishnaveni, Post Box 38, Epidemiology Research Unit, Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mandi Mohalla, Mysore 570021, India. (Email [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Foetal development may permanently affect muscle function. Indian newborns have a low mean birthweight, predominantly due to low lean tissue and muscle mass. We aimed to examine the relationship of birthweight, and arm muscle area (AMA) at birth and post-natal growth to handgrip strength in Indian children. Grip strength was measured in 574 children aged 9 years, who had detailed anthropometry at birth and every 6–12 months post-natally. Mean (standard deviation (s.d.)) birthweight was 2863 (446) g. At 9 years, the children were short (mean height s.d. −0.6) and light (mean weight s.d. −1.1) compared with the World Health Organization growth reference. Mean (s.d.) grip strength was 12.7 (2.2) kg (boys) and 11.0 (2.0) kg (girls). Weight, length and AMA at birth, but not skinfold measurements at birth, were positively related to 9-year grip strength (β = 0.40 kg/s.d. increase in birthweight, P < 0.001; and β = 0.41 kg/s.d. increase in AMA, P < 0.001). Grip strength was positively related to 9-year height, body mass index and AMA and to gains in these measurements from birth to 2 years, 2–5 years and 5–9 years (P < 0.001 for all). The associations between birth size and grip strength were attenuated but remained statistically significant for AMA after adjusting for 9-year size. We conclude that larger overall size and muscle mass at birth are associated with greater muscle strength in childhood, and that this is mediated mainly through greater post-natal size. Poorer muscle development in utero is associated with reduced childhood muscle strength.

Keywords

arm muscle areabirthweightchildrengrip strength
Type
Original Articles
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 1 , Issue 5 , October 2010 , pp. 329 - 337
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Aihie Sayer, A, Cooper, C. Aging, sarcopenia and the life course. Rev Clin Gerontol. 2007; 16, 265–274.Google Scholar
2. Rantanen, T, Guralnik, JM, Foley, D, et al. Midlife hand grip strength as a predictor of old age disability. JAMA. 1999; 281, 558–560.Google Scholar
3. Syddall, H, Cooper, C, Martin, F, Briggs, R, Aihie Sayer, A. Is grip strength a useful single marker of frailty? Age Ageing. 2003; 32, 650–656.Google Scholar
4. Sayer, AA, Dennison, EM, Syddall, HE, et al. Type 2 diabetes, muscle strength, and impaired physical function: the tip of the iceberg? Diabetes Care. 2005; 28, 2541–2542.Google Scholar
5. Sayer, AA, Syddall, HE, Dennison, EM, et al. Grip strength and the metabolic syndrome: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. QJM. 2007; 100, 707–713.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6. Gale, CR, Martyn, CN, Cooper, C, Sayer, AA. Grip strength, body composition, and mortality. Int J Epidemiol. 2007; 36, 228–235.Google Scholar
7. Rantanen, T, Harris, T, Leveille, SG, et al. Muscle strength and body mass index as long-term predictors of mortality in initially healthy men. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2000; 55, M168–M173.Google Scholar
8. Rantanen, T, Volpato, S, Ferrucci, L, et al. Handgrip strength and cause-specific and total mortality in older disabled women: exploring the mechanism. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003; 51, 636–641.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Sayer, AA, Syddall, HE, Martin, HJ, et al. Is grip strength associated with health-related quality of life? Findings from the Hertfordshire cohort study. Age Ageing. 2006; 35, 409–415.Google Scholar
10. Rolland, Y, Czerwinski, S, Abellan van Kan, G, et al. Sarcopenia: its assessment, etiology, pathogenesis, consequences and future perspectives. J Nutr Health Aging. 2008; 12, 433–450.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11. Morley, JE, Baumgartner, RN, Roubenoff, R, Mayer, J, Nair, KS. Sarcopenia. J Lab Clin Med. 2001; 137, 231–243.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Lehman, JB, Kafko, M, Mah, L, Mosquera, L, Reilly, B. An exploratory look at hand strength and hand size among preschoolers. J Hand Ther. 2002; 15, 340–346.Google Scholar
13. Sartorio, A, Lafortuna, CL, Pogliaghi, S, Trecate, L. The impact of gender, body dimension and body composition on hand-grip strength in healthy children. J Endocrinol Invest. 2002; 25, 431–435.Google Scholar
14. Sayer, AA, Syddall, HE, Gilbody, HJ, Dennison, EM, Cooper, C. Does sarcopenia originate in early life? Findings from the Hertfordshire cohort study. J Gerontol. 2004; 59A, 930–934.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15. Inskip, HM, Godfrey, KM, Martin, HJ, et al. Size at birth and its relation to muscle strength in young adult women. J Int Med. 2007; 262, 368–374.Google Scholar
16. Sayer, AA, Syddall, H, Martin, H, et al. The developmental origins of sarcopenia. J Nutr Health Aging. 2008; 12, 427–432.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17. Rogers, M, Fay, TB, Whitfield, MF, Tomlinson, J, Grunau, RE. Aerobic capacity, strength, flexibility, and activity level in unimpaired extremely low birth weight (<or=800 g) survivors at 17 years of age compared with term-born control subjects. Pediatrics. 2005; 116, e58–e65.Google Scholar
18. Martorell, R, Ramakrishnan, U, Schroeder, DG, Melgar, P, Neufeld, L. Intrauterine growth retardation, body size, body composition and physical performance in adolescence. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1998; 52(Suppl 1), S43–S52.Google Scholar
19. Ford, GW, Kitchen, WH, Doyle, LW. Muscular strength at 5 years of children with a birthweight under 1500 g. Aust Paediatr J. 1988; 24, 295–296.Google Scholar
20. Yajnik, CS, Fall, CHD, Coyaji, KJ, et al. Neonatal anthropometry: the thin-fat Indian baby; the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study. Int J Obes. 2003; 27, 173–180.Google Scholar
21. Krishnaveni, GV, Hill, JC, Veena, SR, et al. Truncal adiposity is present at birth and in early childhood in South Indian children. Indian Pediatr. 2005; 42, 527–538.Google Scholar
22. Singhal, A, Wells, J, Cole, TJ, Fewtrell, M, Lucas, A. Programming of lean body mass: a link between birth weight, obesity and cardiovascular disease? Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; 77, 726–730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23. Rogers, IS, Ness, AR, Steer, CD, et al. Association of size at birth and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measures of lean and fat mass at 9 to 10 y of age. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006; 84, 739–747.Google Scholar
24. Joglekar, CV, Fall, CH, Deshpande, VU, et al. Newborn size, infant and childhood growth, and body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors at the age of 6 years: the Pune Maternal Nutrition Study. Int J Obes (Lond). 2007; 31, 1534–1544.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25. Hill, JC, Krishnaveni, GV, Annamma, I, Leary, SD, Fall, CH. Glucose tolerance in pregnancy in South India: relationships to neonatal anthropometry. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2005; 84, 159–165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26. Krishnaveni, GV, Hill, JC, Leary, SD, et al. Anthropometry, glucose tolerance, and insulin concentrations in Indian children: relationships to maternal glucose and insulin concentrations during pregnancy. Diabetes Care. 2005; 28, 2919–2925.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27. Jelliffe, DB, Jelliffe, EPP. Prevalence of protein-calorie malnutrition in Haitian preschool children. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1960; 50, 1355–1366.Google Scholar
28. International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Operations Research Centre (ORC) Macro. National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2), India, 1998–99, 2001; Maharashtra, Mumbai: IPPS.Google Scholar
29. World Health Organization: Child growth standards. Retrieved 8 July 2009 from http://www.who.int/childgrowth/software/en/ Google Scholar
30. Cole, TJ, Green, PJ. Smoothing reference centile curves: the LMS method and penalized likelihood. Stat Med. 1992; 11, 1305–1319.Google Scholar
31. Fall, CHD, Sachdev, HS, Osmond, C, et al. Adult metabolic syndrome and impaired glucose tolerance are associated with different patterns of body mass index gain during infancy; data from the New Delhi birth cohort. Diabetes Care. 2008; 31, 2349–2356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32. Adair, LS, Martorell, R, Stein, AD, et al. Size at birth, weight gain in infancy and childhood, and adult blood pressure in five low and middle income country cohorts: When does weight gain matter? Am J Clin Nutr. 2009; 89, 1383–1392.Google Scholar
33. Gollnick, PD, Timson, BF, Moore, RL, Riedy, M. Muscular enlargement and number of fibers in skeletal-muscles of rats. J Appl Physiol. 1981; 50, 936–943.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34. Barbet, JP, Thornell, LE, Butler-Browne, GS. Immunocytochemical characterisation of two generations of fibers during the development of the human quadriceps muscle. Mech Dev. 1991; 35, 3–11.Google Scholar
35. Gale, CR, Martyn, CN, Kellingray, S, Eastell, R, Cooper, C. Intrauterine programming of adult body composition. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001; 86, 267–272.Google Scholar
36. Phillips, DIW. Relation of fetal growth to adult muscle mass and glucose tolerance. Diabet Med. 1995; 12, 686–690.Google Scholar
37. Kahn, HS, Narayan, KMV, Williamson, DF, Valdez, R. Relation of birthweight to lean and fat thigh tissue in young men. Int J Obes. 2000; 24, 667–672.Google Scholar
38. Weyer, C, Pratley, RE, Lindsay, RS, Tataranni, A. Relationship between birthweight and body composition, energy metabolism and sympathetic nervous system activity later in life. Obes Res. 2000; 8, 559–565.Google Scholar
39. Loos, RJF, Beunen, G, Fagard, R, Derom, C, Vlietinck, R. Birth weight and body composition in young adult men – prospective twin study. Int J Obes. 2001; 25, 1537–1545.Google Scholar
40. Li, H, Stein, AD, Barnhardt, HX, Ramakrishnan, U, Martorell, R. Associations between prenatal and postnatal growth and adult body size and composition. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; 77, 1498–1505.Google Scholar
41. Aihie Sayer, A, Syddall, HE, Dennison, EM, et al. Birth weight, weight at 1 year of age, and body composition in older men: findings from the Hertfordshire cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004; 80, 199–203.Google Scholar
42. Sachdev, HPS, Fall, CHD, Osmond, C, et al. Anthropometric indicators of body composition in young adults: relation to size at birth and serial measurements of body mass index in childhood; the New Delhi birth cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005; 82, 456–466.Google Scholar
43. Tanner, JM. Fetus into man: physical growth from conception to maturity, 1989. Castlemead Publications: UK, p. 45.Google Scholar
44. Marrodan Serrano, MD, Romero Collazos, JF, Moreno Romero, S, et al. Handgrip strength in children and teenagers aged from 6 to 18 years: reference values and relationship with size and body composition. An Pediatr (Barc). 2009; 70, 340–348.Google ScholarPubMed
45. Hager-Ross, C, Rösblad, B. Norms for grip strength in children aged 4–16 years. Acta Paediatr. 2002; 91, 617–625.Google Scholar
46. Kuh, D, Bassey, J, Hardy, R, et al. Birth weight, childhood size, and muscle strength in adult life: evidence from a birth cohort study. Am J Epidemiol. 2002; 156, 627–633.Google Scholar