Insulin Resistance and its Association with Catch-Up Growth in Chinese Children Born Small for Gestational Age

Objective: To assess insulin resistance and beta-cell function from birth to age 4 years and to examine their associations with catch-up growth (CUG) in Chinese small-for-gestational-age (SGA) children. Methods: Weight and height were measured yearly from birth to age 4 years, and transformed into ageand gender-adjusted SD scores. Fasting serum insulin and glucose were measured, and fasting insulin resistance and beta-cell function were estimated using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Results: The mean HOMA-IR of the SGA group was significantly lower than that of the appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) group at ages 2 and 3 years old, and the mean HOMA% of the SGA group was significantly lower than that of the AGA group at age 4 years old. At 4 years of age, HOMA for insulin resistance was positively correlated with the height gain and SD of height gain between 0 and 5 months, and HOMA% was positively correlated with the weight gain and SD of weight gain between 6 and 12 months in SGA children. Conclusions: SGA children with CUG show a greater propensity to develop insulin resistance than AGA children between ages 2 and 4 years old. HOMA parameters are related to CUG in the first year of life.