Low birth weight increases risk of Type 2?!

[KitSileya]

Was leafing through the magazine my country's diabetes association puts out, and there was a small notice about research showing that having a low weight at birth increased one's risk of getting type 2. The researchers theorized that it was due to getting less nutrients in the womb making organs develop less well. Have any of you heard anything about this? Weighing in at 1600gr at birth, I would love to know more about it.

 

[lovinglife]

Well I was a normal weight baby at just over 6lb and I have T2, my brother on the other hand was born 58 years ago on the 19th October, he wasn’t due until New Years Day, he was 2lb 2oz and was a local celebrity at the time as he was the smallest baby to survive in the area. My mam had to knit dolls clothes for him as there was nothing small enough available.He doesn’t have diabetes.

He does have serious heart problems but they aren’t congenital

 

[filly]

I was very prem. 3lbs. In hospital for a while and came out when I was actually due 10 weeks later. My brother also prem but 6lbs. Also Type 2. My son pre diabetic to normal but 8lbs....

 

[zand]

My son was born 10 weeks early at 1.693 kilos. Whilst this was a low birth weight, it wasn't low for a 30 weeks term, so I think he did get enough nutrition whilst in the womb as he was larger than expected for dates.

 

[Rachox]

I was 8lb (3628g) so me as an n=1 blows that theory!

 

[Outlier]

I was 6 weeks premature at 4lb 1oz, my brother was full term 9lb 10oz and we are both T2 diabetic. I was diagnosed 2 years ago, he has been T2 for 30-odd years. He chooses to take meds, I control by diet.

 

[KitSileya]

It's funny to hear all different birth weights. I remember my sister talking about being warned against "cola babies" when she was pregnant with my 19-year old nephew - babies that were 6+ kgs because the mother had a generally unhealthy diet, metonymized by drinking full sugar cola. I wouldn't have been surprised if these babies had an increased risk of T2, to be honest, so I found it funny that low birth weight now had been proved a risk factor by Danish researchers. I guess genetics is still the biggest risk factor, I've heard 40 percentage points of risk for each parent with T2. My dad and my maternal grandmother had T2, so I figure a risk factor of about 50% in my case just from genetics.