Background: Low birth weight is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in adult. The fetal programming hypothesis has taught that insulin resistance and its associated metabolic disturbances result from poor gestational environment, for which low birth weight is a surrogate. We have investigated the relevance of birth weight, current weight and weight change to insulin resistance and serum adiponectin concentrations in 165 contemporary Korean adolescents.
Methods: A cohort of 165 boys and girls were measured birth weight and current anthropometric data (weight, height, body mass index, body fat component, waist circumference), blood pressure, lipid profile and insulin resistance and serum adiponectin concentrations at age 12∼15 who have lived at Seoul in South Korea. We also investigated the relation of birth weight, current weight and weight change to insulin resistance and serum adiponectin concentrations.
Results: Although, statistically not significant insulin resistance was negative correlated with birth weight. Also, current obese group and Catch-up group had the high insulin resistance. Serum adiponectin concentrations was negative correlated with insulin resistance and low in current overweighted or Catch-up groups. In female serum adiponectin concentrations was low in low birth weight group and Catch-up group.
Conclusion: Low birth weight may predict the risk of the metabolic syndrome with low serum adiponectin concentration and its progression over age, and this effect may be more pronounced in those who exhibited excess current weight or so-called catch-up growth. So, adequate gestational nutrition is necessary to prevent low birth weight and also childhood overnutrition should be avoided especially in those who had a low birth weight.

Keywords: Insulin resistance, Birth weight, Current weight, Weight change, Adiponectin