Many very premature babies that now survive would have died in the past. These babies experience, usually during childhood, periods of "catch-up" growth that tends to bring them closer in height and weight to their non-premature peers. Some babies, however, never quite equal their peers in height and weight.
Many of these babies are now young adults. When compared to matched 20-year-olds, females born very prematurely had caught up to their non-premature peers in height and weight. However, the same isn't true for males. They were significantly shorter and weighed less than their non-premature peers.
This sounds good for the females, but the catch-up growth may pose problems for them as they continue to age. Twenty-one percent of the females who caught up were overweight and 15% were obese at age 20. There's evidence that children who grow rapidly during childhood are more likely to become obese adults. Obese adults are at an increased risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Babies born very prematurely need the catch-up growth they experience, but parents need to be vigilant that these kids don't "overcompensate" and become overweight.
Pediatrics, 7/03.
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