Mårild S, Sjöberg A, Albertsson-Wikland K, et al. - At ten years of age, presence of a high BMI z-score was revealed as a risk factor for the cardiometabolic state in young adults. A cardiometabolic score, in young adults in whom metabolic syndrome is rare, appears promising and potentially a more powerful means to identify risks for cardiovascular disease later in life relative to using metabolic syndrome categorisation.

• Among participants in the longitudinal population-based GrowUp 1990 Gothenburg study, a health survey at 18-20 years of age was performed in those with information on weight and length at birth, as well as weight, height, waist circumference, and parental BMI at ten years of age.

• Participants with metabolic syndrome, as defined by IDF, had a statistically significantly higher cardiometabolic score (a continuous variable summarizing the individual z-scores for waist circumference, blood pressure, blood levels of glucose, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol).

• In both genders, BMI z-score at ten years of age was identified as a significant risk factor for an increased cardiometabolic score in early adulthood, this was observed after controlling for adult lifestyle features.

• A statistically significant risk was observed in relation to high maternal BMI and low age at adiposity rebound (in males) as well as in relation to high birth weight (in females).

• Elevated score was likely in females using contraceptives, and males showed a protective association of a high lifestyle related index score with the cardiometabolic score.