High and Low Birth Weights as Risk Factors for Diabetes

There has been an increasing prevalence of childhood and adolescent type 2 diabetes over the past few decades (1,2), and recent studies have sparked interest in both low and high birth weight as risk factors for this disorder. In certain populations, low birth weight has been recognized as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (3-8). Other diseases such as hypertension and dyslipidemia, which do not typically present until adulthood, have also been found in association with low birth weight (9). Studies have shown that shorter stature is associated with a higher rate of gestational diabetes (10), believed to be due to intrauterine malnutrition causing both low birth weight and short stature (11).