Birthweight and Glucose Tolerance Status Are Associated With Organ Sizes in Older Adults
Authors' conclusion
Lower birthweight was associated with smaller kidneys, and to some extent lungs, and with larger adrenal glands, whereas diabetes and prediabetes were associated with larger kidney, liver and adrenal glands, and with lower pancreas volumes. Further studies are needed to understand the clinical and/or physiological implications of these findings.
Study context
- Population
- Participants aged 53–83 years from the Danish Inter99 20-year follow-up study, with original midwife birthweight recordsparticipants who underwent computed tomography imaging
- Participants
- 1,212 participants
- Exposure
- Associations between birthweight and organ sizes, and differences in organ sizes across normoglycaemic, prediabetes and diabetes groups
- Outcome
- Kidney volume per 1 kg lower birthweight
Methodological detailscomputed tomography imaging, linear regression
- Computed tomography imaging
- Linear regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Lower kidney volume per 1 kg lower birthweight
2.0%
95% CI 0.1%, 3.9%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Lung volume per 1 kg lower birthweight
- Lower lung volume per 1 kg lower birthweight
- 3.8% (95% CI: 1.2%, 6.5%)
- Further adjustment for subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue attenuated the lung association
- Adjusted for sex, age, birth year, preterm birth and body surface area
Adrenal gland volume per 1 kg lower birthweight
- Larger adrenal gland volume per 1 kg lower birthweight
- 3.9% (95% CI: 0.3%, 7.5%)
- Adjusted for sex, age, birth year, preterm birth and body surface area
Organ volumes by glycaemic status
- Compared with normoglycaemic participants, individuals with prediabetes and/or diabetes showed larger liver, kidney and adrenal gland volumes, whereas pancreas volume was smaller
- Adjusted for birthweight and body size
Original publication
Birthweight and Glucose Tolerance Status Are Associated With Organ Sizes in Older Adults. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 9 November 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →