Accelerated infant weight gain and risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in early adulthood

Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the hepatic metabolic syndrome. Some studies demonstrated an association between small size at birth and NAFLD. Rapid catch-up in weight often follows small birth size and has been associated with metabolic syndrome, but its association with NAFLD remained unknown. Patients and Methods: In 268 adults aged 18-24 years, body mass index, waist circumference, triglyceride, -glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase levels were determined. Fatty liver index (FLI; 0-100) was calculated. Associations of birth weightSDscoreandfirst year gain in weightandlengthSDscores were determined with FLI and other liver markers. Comparisons were performed between subjects with and without rapid catch-up in weight in the first year of life. Furthermore, a FLI score (low, intermediate, high risk for NAFLD) was assigned to each participant to determine clinical relevance, and ordinal regression analyses were performed. Results: Gain in weight in the first 3 months of life was associated with FLI as a continuous variable, whereas low birth weight was not. There were no significant associations with -glutamyltransferase, alanine aminotransferase, or aspartate aminotransferase. Of the subjects with rapid catch-up in weight for length, 27.8% had an intermediate or high FLI at the age of 21 years, compared with 5.3% of subjects with slow catch-up. Rapid catch-up was also associated with a higher FLI score after adjustments (odds ratio, 11.7; P - .016). Conclusion: Accelerated gain in weight for length in the first 3 months of life is associated with a higher risk for NAFLD in early adulthood, whereas small size at birth is not. Copyright

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