Insulin-like growth factor-I and growth in height, leg length, and trunk length between ages 5 and 10 years

Abstract

IGF-I, a major regulator of childhood growth, is also associated with the risk of several cancers in adult life. Adult height and particularly leg length are also associated with cancer risk. Prepubertal growth is more in leg than trunk length, and it has been suggested that leg length might be a biomarker of childhood IGF-I. However, there is little information on the association between childhood IGF-I and subsequent leg and trunk growth. In this study, we investigated the association of IGF-I measured at 5 and 7–8 yr with growth in height and the components of height (leg and trunk length) from 5 yr to 9–10 yr.