Robertson, O. C., Marceau, K, Duncan, R. J., Shirtcliff, E. A., Natsuaki, N. M., Shaw, D. S., Reiss, D., Leve, L. D., Neiderhiser, J. M., Ganiban, J. M. (in press) Prenatal programming of developmental trajectories for obesity risk and early pubertal timing. Developmental Psychology.

The thrifty phenotype and fetal overnutrition hypotheses were tested by examining developmental pathways from genetic and prenatal risk through early growth trajectories (birth to 7 years) to pubertal timing at age 11 years. Participants included 361 children adopted at birth (57% Male, 57% Non-Hispanic White, 11% Black, 9% Hispanic). Associations between boys’ childhood BMI and pubertal timing were confounded by genetics, prenatal risk, and early growth. The thrifty phenotype hypothesis was partially supported for boys’ childhood (age 4-7) body mass index (BMI). Both hypotheses were partially supported for girls’ childhood BMI but not pubertal timing. A novel gene-by-prenatal risk interaction showed that genetic risk predicted girls’ childhood BMI most strongly at adequate compared to excessive levels of gestational weight gain.