{
  "abstract": "Objectives Body mass index (BMI) changes dynamically during early life, but whether BMI at specific developmental stages is associated with adult regional fat distribution remains uncertain. We evaluated age-specific associations of genetically predicted childhood BMI with adult MRI-derived BMI-adjusted fat depots and examined whether these associations were independent of adolescent BMI.Design Two-sample Mendelian randomisation study using univariable Mendelian randomisation (UVMR) and multivariable Mendelian randomisation (MVMR).Data sources Publicly available genome-wide association study summary statistics for BMI at 12 early-life time points from birth to 8 years, adolescent BMI from the Early Growth Genetics Consortium and adult MRI-derived adipose depot traits from UK Biobank.Exposures Genetically predicted BMI at birth; 6 weeks; 3, 6 and 8 months; and 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 years.Main outcome measures Adult abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue adjusted for BMI (ASATadj), gluteofemoral adipose tissue adjusted for BMI (GFATadj) and visceral adipose tissue adjusted for BMI (VATadj).Results UVMR showed age-specific heterogeneity. Higher genetically predicted BMI at 1.5 and 2 years was associated with higher adult ASATadj, whereas GFATadj showed no consistent pattern. VATadj showed the clearest signal: higher genetically predicted BMI at 5 and 7 years was associated with lower adult VATadj, with a nominal inverse association at 8 years. After conditioning on adolescent BMI, most early-life associations attenuated, but inverse associations of BMI at 5 and 7 years with VATadj remained nominally significant.Conclusions Genetically predicted early-life BMI showed stage-specific associations with adult BMI-adjusted fat distribution. Most associations appeared to reflect continuity of body size across the life course, whereas later childhood may warrant further investigation as a possible developmental period related to adult visceral fat partitioning.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pediatric Care, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China"
      ],
      "name": "Qiankun Lai"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pediatric Care, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China"
      ],
      "name": "Yanxia Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pediatric Care, Guyuan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Guyuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiaorong Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pediatric Care, Guyuan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Guyuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Guolan Ma"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pediatric Care, Guyuan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Guyuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Bingquan Yang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pediatrics, Guyuan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Guyuan, Ningxia, China"
      ],
      "name": "Jing Song"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Pediatric Care, Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China"
      ],
      "name": "Juan Gao"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Early-life body mass index and adult fat distribution: a life-course Mendelian randomisation study",
  "uid": "9cfbceda-9a34-5d0d-a3fa-ba6a0648f4ef"
}