LGA infants display early catch down growth in length and weight without epigenetic changes

Methods Seventy-one singleton infants born at term were classified by birth weight as AGA (10th-90th percentile; n=42) and as LGA (>90th percentile; n=29). Post-natal follow-up until age 1 year was performed with clinical assessments at 3, 6, and 12 months. Assessments included measurement of infants’ weight, length, ponderal index, BMI, as well as head, chest, and abdominal circumference. A subgroup of 38 infants (17 AGA and 21 LGA) was selected for genome-wide DNA methylation analysis. Umbilical cord was collected at birth, and methylation profile on umbilical tissue was analysed using the Illumina Infinium 450K methylation array.