Birth Weight and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis

The "small baby syndrome hypothesis" suggests that an inverse linear relation exists between birth weight and risk of type 2 diabetes. The authors conducted a meta-analysis to examine this association. They included studies that reported odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (or data with which to calculate them) for the association of type 2 diabetes with birth weight. Fourteen studies involving a total of 132,180 persons were identified. Low birth weight (/=2,500 g, was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio (OR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06, 1.64). High birth weight (>4,000 g), as compared with a birth weight of

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  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft