Impact of Early Childhood Malnutrition on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Young Adults from Marginalized Areas of Chiapas, Mexico

Abstract

The presence of malnutrition in early life is a determining factor in the onset of metabolic alterations and chronic diseases in adults. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the impact of malnutrition in early childhood with the presence of cardiometabolic risk factors in adulthood in marginalized populations from Chiapas, Mexico. The present investigation was based on a prospective cohort study that began in 2002, with young adults aged 18 to 25 years belonging to De Los Bosques region in Chiapas, Mexico. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical and biochemical data were obtained in adulthood. Binary logistic regression models with 95% confidence intervals were fitted to assess the association between nutritional status in childhood (≤5 years of age) and cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. Individuals with overweight/obesity in childhood were more likely to have overweight/obesity (OR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.09–6.45), high waist circumference (3.78, 95% CI: 1.55–9.24), high waist to height ratio (OR = 5.38, CI 95%: 1.60–18.10), elevated total cholesterol (OR = 3.95, 95% CI: 1.36–11.43) and metabolic syndrome (OR = 4.71, 95% CI: 1.49–14.90) in adulthood. In conclusion, malnutrition presented in early childhood increased the probability of developing cardiometabolic alterations in young adults from southern Mexico.