Adult success depends on your weight at birth

Posted on Jun 13th 2007 7:35AM by Rigel Celeste

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

How much you weighed at birth may still be having an effect on your life, specifically in how successful and healthy you are as an adult. This information comes from a good sized study that looked at more than 12,000 people over a period of 35+ years. The findings show that people who weighed less than 5.5 lbs. at birth are one-third more likely to drop out of high school, make an average of 15 percent less income each year, and have the health of someone over 40 years old when they're only in their thirties.

There are all kinds of theories out there on why this is, the most popular one linking low-income parents and poor prenatal care to low birth-weight outcomes, which in turn means the child is at increased risk due to being raised in an underprivileged environment. What do you think? Is this true?

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Tags: adult, adults, babies, baby, birth, birth-weight, child, children, health, infant, kid, kids, lb, lbs, low, pounds, pregnancy, pregnant, prenatal, success, weight

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Crabby McSlacker 6-13-2007 @ 9:58AM

Sounds like a really complex combination of problems. And it's so refreshing to read your take on it, which doesn't jump to the conclusion that low birth weight "causes" declines in future adult success.

I see so many articles that confuse things that tend to go together with things that cause each other, it makes me want to scream--or at least grumble. Thanks!

(Crabby hangs out at http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/, where she is usually much more grouchy than this.)

nothopeless 6-25-2007 @ 2:09PM

Do I think this is true? No. Not hardly. We like to blame everything on "underprivilege".

lin 6-25-2007 @ 2:13PM

Who thinks of these things? My sister was 4 and I was 5lbs and we both graduated high school and own our own homes/cars and have children and people say we look younger than our age. Who are the people they poll? 12,000 people over 35years? OKIE THEN.

mickey 6-25-2007 @ 2:19PM

well, i don't know if this is true. i come from a very poor background and i was born overweight ( 9 pounds and 3/4 ounces) but then again i am doing well in college so of course i didn't drop out..i don't know if i believe this. the article didn't explain the opposite effects, like beign overweight. there wasn't enough info in this article to convince me.

nina L 6-25-2007 @ 2:25PM

This is so absurd. My twins were less than 2 lbs when they were born due to prengancy related problems. They are now 8 years old and in the top of their classes. They are ranked above average academically. What does low birth weight have to do with how well you succeed when your older.

jl 6-25-2007 @ 10:37PM

You need to be more specific in your description. Full term birthweight probably makes a difference and it reflects on prenatal care. If a child is born prematurely their birth weight may be low but it would be appropriate for their gestation age. I have a child who was four pounds at birth but is captain of her track team, plays high level competitive travel sports and is number one in her class at a selective private school. She had great prenatal care but just came early. Smoking, poor nutrition and drug and alcohol abuse during gestation will lead to full term decreased birth weight and likely a lifelong littany of problems.

Zada 6-25-2007 @ 2:28PM

My daughter weight 5lbs.3oz. she has a very good job at top with General Motors, so I say this isn't true.

lori 6-25-2007 @ 2:36PM

I am not sure????? My husband was 4lbs and he was also breach. He is a part owner of successful multi-million $ business. He did not fall into the company he helped build it from the start.

ladyz829 6-25-2007 @ 2:46PM

My grandchildren are twins, the boy was 7lb 14oz has adhd & odd, fair grades but will never be a honor student, my granddauther was 4lb 12oz has been in the top of her class for 5yrs, this past year, she had honor classes, what do you think? I don't beleive the study.

Dr. Joseph Debe 6-25-2007 @ 2:49PM

The findings of this study do not surprise me.

There is a metabolic explanation for the connection between low birth weight and later-life health and functional impairment. It has to do with something called metabolic syndrome. Low birth weight is one of the many factors that predisposes to metabolic syndrome. Interestingly, some other factors include prenatal nutritional deficiencies and emotional stress.

I wrote an article on the subject five years ago: http://drdebe.com/metabolicsyndrome.html

I believe that low-birth increases the likelihood of poor health. However, there are many other influences and lifestyle factors that can change one's health for the better.

Jeff 6-25-2007 @ 2:57PM

My second son was a premie at 3.12 and he finished high school, went to college, owns his own home and has a wonderful marriage. The only debt he has is his home - vehicles are paid for and credit cards are paid in full each month. I am sure there are a lot of folks who weighed over 5 pounds at birth cannot make that statement!!

Yvette 6-25-2007 @ 2:58PM

who comes up with this stuff I was 5lbs and I own my home and cars and I run a farm. and have kids one who was 5lbs and the other was 10lbs and the 10lbs has more colds than the other

AJ 6-28-2007 @ 8:21AM

First off, I think many of you are jumping the gun. This study does not apply to every person born under 5 lbs.; there obviously are exceptions. As a pediatrics researcher, studying premature birth, I can tell you that this is not always true, but generally, it is. There isn't really a connection between weight at birth and success. This has to do more with the mother and her health during pregnancy. Although there is no explanation for premature birth, most premature births are linked to poor maternal health i.e., smoking, drinking, not having proper prenatal care, etc. Once again, this is not always the case. Perfectly healthy mothers can still have premature babies (which is why a lot of money is invested in finding out the cause of premature birth). I personally don't think people should freak out if they were born underweight. It has to do with how you live your life and what you make of it... not how much you weighed at birth.

Frequentlyamazed 6-25-2007 @ 3:22PM

Someone please tell me that as a taxpayer I did not help pay for such a stupid survey. What was the birth weight of the people that decided to take this survey.

l 6-25-2007 @ 3:36PM

Please, actually READ the article before commenting on it. Better yet, follow the link provided and get the actual study highlights and you will see that the author isn't just pondering whether low-birth weight corresponds with poorer life outcomes, and why, but is explaining that a study has been conducted demonstrating that there is indeed a connection between low-birth weight and poorer life outcome (notwithstanding the handful of anecdotal exceptions noted in the comments here--a number so small as to be statistically insignificant). Just because you or your mother (son, aunt, next door neighbor, etc.) was a low birth weight infant and turned out OK does not disprove the validity of the study or the conclusions of its authors. You are simply highlighting individual instances that don't fit the pattern (and likely don't fit other details of the pattern--maybe, for example, you were low birth weight not because your mother failed to get prenatal care or had poor nutrition, but for some medical reason that didn't compromise your underlying health).

Miss M 6-25-2007 @ 3:32PM

Thank you, poster #13. You are absolutely correct.

hawk 6-25-2007 @ 3:51PM

boy thats a kicker no matter how small or big you are what you are is 5 pounds or 12 pounds an 20 years later all that is what you were now what you did in between is what you did do you follow me hollar

;0) 6-25-2007 @ 3:57PM

I personally don't agree with parts of this article. In many cases, premature babies have higher intelligence. However, I see how this could make sense. People too young to have babies have babies (generally prematurely) and then don't know how to raise them or how to teach them the things they need to know. As for the health issue, I do agree with that, as many of the people I know born with a low birth weight (including myself) seem more susceptibile to allergies, asthma, colds, etc. However, of course, there are always exceptions to every situation.

KJ 6-25-2007 @ 3:58PM

I have to say this is a crock of crap! I was born at 4.3 lbs. lost a pound , had pneumonia, and had to stay in the hospital for months until I weighed 6 lbs. when I was born..... Not only did I rank #8 in highschool out of 800 students, I have a college degree and I'm working on my master's degree. The only debt I have is student loans which I am paying back, Not to mention, I make 6 figures....... so this is B.S.
*Oh yeah and I take vitamins everyday so I have have been also blessed with great health no trace of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholestorol nor hypoglicemia*
I think we all need to be in the science profession so we can get numerous grants to make up dumb research everyday and never go out of a job and end up with good retirements..... scientist and research folks might be smart after all.....