Cord blood triglycerides are associated with IGF-I levels and contribute to the identification of growth-restricted neonates

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate whether readily available laboratory tests may aid in the identification of growth-restricted neonates.DesignCord serum levels of 15 chemical analytes, including insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) were measured in newborns ≥ 36 weeks gestational age (GA). Based on the number of anthropometric indices (out of four) with values ≤ 25th centile for GA, the babies were allocated into three groups, i.e., Group250, Group251 and Group252 corresponding to neonates with 0, 1 and 2 or more indices, respectively, that were ≤25th centile for GA. Furthermore, two composite variables were developed: A25 (Group250 and Group251) and B25 (Group250 and Group252). The data were evaluated by the Mann–Whitney test and multiple regression analyses.ResultsCord serum triglycerides and total cholesterol levels were significantly higher in Group252 compared to Group250 (p values 0.004 and 0.0009, respectively). The triglycerides almost doubled the power of the variable B25 for predicting IGF-I levels and were found to have a highly significant, negative association with the IGF-I levels (p < 0.0001). The IGF-I along with the IGFBP-3 levels explained almost one third of the variation of triglycerides.ConclusionCord serum triglycerides can assist in the identification of growth-restricted neonates. The novel finding of the association of triglycerides with IGF-I calls for further research as this can illuminate unknown aspects of the fetal lipid metabolism.