A new research analysis has identified a child’s body mass index (BMI) at age 10 and the rate of physical growth up to age 18 as significant factors linked to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease later in life.
The findings are derived from a large longitudinal study published in the journal Nature Communications, which examined how genetic influences shape BMI changes throughout childhood and adolescence.
Researchers analysed nearly 66,000 BMI measurements from around 6,300 children and adolescents aged one to 18 years to map growth trajectories across early life. Instead of relying on single-age measurements, the study tracked patterns over time to assess how body size and growth rate vary and how these variations may relate to disease risk.
The analysis showed that BMI around age 10 and the overall pace of growth from infancy to late adolescence are more strongly associated with later cardiometabolic outcomes than body size at very young ages. Genetic factors accounted for roughly one-quarter of the variation in how BMI changes from ages one to 18, indicating that gene-linked patterns of growth play a role alongside environmental and lifestyle influences.
The data for the study came from the long-running Children of the 90s cohort maintained by the University of Bristol, with collaboration from researchers at the University of Queensland, the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University. By mapping childhood growth in detail, the research provides insights into how early-life biological and genetic determinants interact with physical development to shape long-term health trajectories.
These findings underscore the importance of monitoring growth patterns throughout childhood and adolescence as part of efforts to understand and possibly intervene in the development of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
