Diabetogenic elevated childhood total fat in South Asian and Black African/Caribbean people relates to adverse early life growth and low socioeconomic position compared with White people in the UK.

ABSTRACT:

Aims/hypothesis

Excess type 2 diabetes mellitus in minority ethnic groups remains unexplained, although greater fat mass makes a strong contribution. We hypothesised that height and weight through infancy in South Asian and Black African/Caribbean subgroups is more adverse than in White populations. These, allied to poor socioeconomic position, determine greater fat mass at age 7 years.

Methods

We report a secondary analysis from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, including 12,280 births of White ethnicity, and 358 of Indian, 650 of Pakistani, 268 of Bangladeshi, 163 of Black Caribbean and 277 of Black African ethnicity between 2000 and 2002. Birthweight was reported, and heights and weights were measured at ages 3, 5, 7, 11, 14 and 17 years. Bioimpedance captured fat mass, ind

SUBMITTER: Patel K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12361325 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature