Early Puberty for Mother Predicts Rapid Infant Growth and Childhood Obesity

A related study by Dr. Ken Ong of the UK Medical Research Council and University of Cambridge set out to find possible inherited reasons for such findings, that larger girls are more likely to mature earlier. Ong found that mothers who had completed their own puberty early were shorter and fatter than other mother. They gave birth to offspring who grew rapidly during infancy, became more overweight during childhood, and themselves had earlier puberty.

In the ALSPAC birth cohort study from Bristol UK, Ong looked at the body mass index (BMI) for more than 6,000 children at age 9. The children of mothers who had periods before the age of 11 were far more likely to have larger BMI measurements and body fat than children whose mother's did not go through puberty until 15 or later. In addition, a more detailed review of childhood growth for more than 900 of the children revealed that offspring of mothers with early puberty grew more rapidly than the others only during the first two years of life and they then remained taller and fatter as children.

"We have identified a remarkable but common inherited growth pattern, starting with rapid infancy growth and weight gain, taller childhood stature, but earlier maturation and completion of growth resulting in slightly shorter adult stature" said Ong. "We knew that age when girls have their first period is an inherited trait, transmitted from mother to child. Now it appears that this trans-generational trait also has important influences on infancy and childhood growth rates and on obesity risks throughout life."

Insulin Pump Therapy in Very Young Children with Diabetes

While the use of insulin infusion pumps in young diabetic children is increasing, there is little information about the long-term effectiveness of this treatment. A study by Dr. Linda DiMeglio of Indiana University compared two groups of preschool children, one that used intensive insulin injection therapy for the first six months before switching to the pump and one that used the pump throughout the study time.

The study measured the level of hemoglobin A1c as well as the body mass index (BMI) at the time of enrollment, time of pump start and at six, 12, 18 and 24 months after pump start. Despite the potential to have a more liberalized diet once the pump was in place, there were no significant increases in BMI for age and hemoglobin A1c levels remained improved.

"The persistent reduction of hemoglobin A1c, during a time when children are transitioning into school and receiving some care outside of the home, is encouraging for the continued use of this technology in very young children," said DiMeglio.

Evaluation and Treatment Patterns for Pediatric type 2 Diabetes

With the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes increasing in children, it is important to understand the impact of current patterns of treatment and their relationship to controlling symptoms before complications occur. Doctors at the University of Florida in Gainesville, the University of Texas in Houston, the University of Colorado Medical School, the University of South Carolina Medical School, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi, TX and Akron Children's Hospital in Akron, OH joined together to review data on nearly 600 young patients with type 2 diabetes.

The results were sobering: Most children had either worsening or no change in their blood glucose levels over time; this could be attributed to either poor compliance with treatment or simply worsening of the disease following its natural course. In addition, elevations in blood cholesterol or triglycerides were seen in almost one third of patients, and a few of these young patients were already showing signs of nerve and eye damage related to diabetes.

"Despite early onset of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, a significant number of young patients are not evaluated for complications and cardiovascular risk factors by pediatric endocrinologists," said Dr. Vanessa Davis, one of the researchers for the study. "Such screening will be particularly important to prevent heart disease, diabetes-related complications and to improve long term quality of life for these children".