Genetic, maternal and placental factors in the association between birth weight and physical fitness: a longitudinal twin study

PLoS One. 2013 Oct 23;8(10):e76423. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076423. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Background: Adult cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength are related to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Both are possibly related to birth weight, but it is unclear what the importance is of genetic, maternal and placental factors in these associations.

Design: Peak oxygen uptake and measures of strength, flexibility and balance were obtained yearly during adolescence (10-18 years) in 114 twin pairs in the Leuven Longitudinal Twin Study. Their birth weights had been collected prospectively within the East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey.

Results: We identified linear associations between birth weight and adolescent vertical jump (b = 1.96 cm per kg birth weight, P = 0.02), arm pull (b = 1.85 kg per kg birth weight P = 0.03) and flamingo balance (b = -1.82 attempts to stand one minute per kg birth weight, P = 0.03). Maximum oxygen uptake appeared to have a U-shaped association with birth weight (the smallest and largest children had the lowest uptake, P = 0.01), but this association was no longer significant after adjustment for parental BMI. Using the individual twin's deviation from his own twin pair's average birth weight, we found positive associations between birth weight and adolescent vertical jump (b = 3.49, P = 0.0007) and arm pull (b = 3.44, P = 0.02). Δ scores were calculated within the twin pairs as first born twin minus second born twin. Δ birth weight was associated with Δ vertical jump within MZ twin pairs only (b = 2.63, P = 0.009), which indicates importance of placental factors.

Conclusions: We found evidence for an association between adolescent physical performance (strength, balance and possibly peak oxygen uptake) and birth weight. The associations with vertical jump and arm pull were likely based on individual, more specifically placental (in the case of vertical jump) factors. Our results should be viewed as hypothesis-generating and need confirmation, but potentially support preventive strategies to optimize birth weight, for example via placental function, to target later fitness and health.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Twin Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anthropometry
  • Belgium
  • Birth Weight / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Oxygen Consumption / physiology
  • Physical Fitness / physiology*
  • Regression Analysis

Grants and funding

Since its origin the East Flanders Prospective Survey has been partly supported by grants from the Fund of Scientific Research, Flanders (Belgium), the Marguerite-Marie Delacroix Foundation, and by the Association for Scientific Research in Multiple Births (Belgium). The Leuven Longitudinal Twin Study was supported by Research Fund KU Leuven (OT/86/80), Nationale Bank van België, Fund for Medical Research (Belgium) (3.0038.82,3.0008.90,3.0098.91), and NATO (860823). The funding sources had no role in the design and conduct of the study, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, or in the preparation, review or approval of the manuscript. RNHT is supported by a Kootstra Fellowship from the University of Maastricht and a ‘Profileringsfonds’ grant from the University Hospital of Maastricht. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.