Higher weight in first year may up risk of islet autoimmunity

(HealthDay)—Development of islet autoimmunity and multiple islet autoantibodies appears to be related to weight z-scores at age 12 months, according to a study published online March 23 in Diabetes.

Helena Elding Larsson, M.D., Ph.D., from Lund University in Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues examined the correlation between weight, height, and development of persistent islet autoimmunity and progression to type 1 diabetes during the first four years of life. The correlations were examined in a cohort of 7,468 children at genetic risk of type 1 diabetes.

The researchers found that development of islet autoimmunity correlated with weight z-scores at 12 months (hazard ratio, 1.16 per 1.14 kg in males or per 1.02 kg in females; P < 0.001); no correlation was seen at 24 or 36 months. There was a similar correlation noted for weight z-scores with development of multiple islet autoantibodies, with significant correlations at 12 and 24 months (hazard ratios, 1.21 and 1.18, respectively). There was no correlation between weight or height with type 1 diabetes.

"In conclusion, greater weight in the first years of life was associated with an increased risk of development of islet autoimmunity," the authors write.