Early-life factors, cortisol and glucose effectiveness

Early-life events (such as foetal growth, infant size, prematurity and postnatal growth)could influence the development of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in later-life. However, the actual mechanisms underlying these associations are unclear.

Thompson et al., postulated that birth size is associated with cortisol levels, which itself could alter serum adipomyokines (i.e. adiponectin, IGF-I, myostatin) and glucose metabolism. They therefore conducted an observational study on 60 Afro-Caribbean young adults from a birth cohort.

They found that in Afro–Caribbean adults, birth weight and gestational age were associated with nocturnal cortisol which, in turn, had a negative association with glucose effectiveness. Their results also suggest that post-term children may be at increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adulthood.

Read full article by Thompson et al. titled ‘Early-life factors are associated with nocturnal cortisol and

glucose effectiveness in Afro–Caribbean young adults’ in Clinical Endocrinology 2015 82 352-358.

DOI:10.1111/cen.12537