Ellen W Demerath
Biographic Data
| ID | 78909 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ellen W Demerath |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ellen W |
| FAMILY NAME | Demerath |
| SIGNATURE | DEMERATH E W |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Minnesota |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4585-4064 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 36 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 70 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 36 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Body composition after implementation of an enhanced parenteral nutrition protocol in the neonatal intensive care unit: A randomised pilot trial
In this pilot trial, enhanced parenteral nutrition in the first week of life was not associated with significant differences in infant growth or body composition during hospitalisation
Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Identity Modify Postpartum Participation in the Minnesota WIC Program
Training the MCH workforce: The Time for Change is now
In order to modernize and reimagine the academic-public health pipeline, it is critical to better understand how many applicants and graduates exist within Maternal and Child Health programs across the US, and their characteristics. This manuscript connects that information with the most recently available public health workforce information on demographics, workplace perceptions, and intent to leave among staff at state and local health departme…
Testing the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations on maternal reproductive health and associated neonatal characteristics in a transitional, Mediterranean population
High maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and excessive GWG were both significantly associated with deviated biochemical parameters and neonatal size. More careful monitoring of maternal nutritional status can lead to better pre- and perinatal maternal healthcare
Infant sex differences in human milk intake and composition from 1- to 3-month post-delivery in a healthy United States cohort
Among healthy United States mother-infant dyads, appetite, and growth-regulating factors in human milk did not differ significantly by infant sex
Associations of breastfeeding or formula feeding with infant anthropometry and body composition at 6 months
The objective of this study was to investigate the associations of mode of feeding with infant anthropometric and body composition variables at 6 months of age. We studied 259 infants whose exclusive mode of feeding (breast or formula) to 1 month was confirmed. Standard anthropometric characteristics of the infants (weight, length and weight-for-length z scores) were obtained, and body composition (total fat mass, fat-free mass, trunk fat mass an…
Body mass index is negatively associated with telomere length: A collaborative cross-sectional meta-analysis of 87 observational studies
Relative leg length is associated with type 2 diabetes differently according to pubertal timing: The B razilian longitudinal study of adult health
OBJECTIVES: Studies from developed societies have shown that individuals with short legs relative to height have higher risk of type 2 diabetes. This has been much less explored in less developed populations where influences on relative leg length and diabetes may differ. The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (in Portuguese, ELSA-Brasil) allows us to test, in a cohort born (1934-1975) and raised when undernutrition was common, whether …
Body composition assessment in the infant
Body composition assessment provides a sharper picture of the human biological response to genetic and environmental influences than measures of body size and weight. Infant body composition is particularly important as a marker of fetal adaptation and developmental programming of subsequent health and disease, but until recently, the range of options for measuring infant body composition was relatively narrow. The purpose of this Toolkit: Method…
Prevalence of Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose and Serum Lipids Abnormalities Among Ethiopian Immigrants: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Wrist breadth and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in youth: The fels longitudinal study
OBJECTIVES: There is biological crosstalk between insulin signaling and bone remodeling pathways, and wrist circumference and bone area were recently found to associate with insulin resistance independent of body mass index (BMI) in overweight/obese children. We aimed to expand on this work by using more specific measures of adiposity for adjustment and examining children with broader range of BMI. METHODS: We used serial data (1,051 total measur…
Characterization of the infant BMI peak: Sex differences, birth year cohort effects, association with concurrent adiposity, and heritability
OBJECTIVES: To characterize an early trait in the BMI-for-age curve, the infant BMI peak. METHODS: BMI-for-age curves were produced for 747 non-Hispanic, white Fels Longitudinal Study participants, from which individual age (AgePeak ) and BMI (BMIPeak ) at maximum infant BMI were estimated. Multivariable general linear regression was used to examine the effects of sex and birth year cohort (1929-1950, 1951-1970, and 1971-2010) on AgePeak and BMIP…
Genetic risk for earlier menarche also influences peripubertal body mass index
It is unclear whether earlier age at menarche is associated with higher body mass index (BMI) because they share a common genetic underpinning. We investigated the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influencing menarche timing on peripubertal BMI. For 556 Fels Longitudinal Study children (277 boys/279 girls) born 1928–1992, a genetic risk score (GRS 42 ) was computed as the sum of the number of risk alleles in 42 putative menarche S…
Body image concerns and reduced breastfeeding duration in primiparous overweight and obese women
OBJECTIVES: To test differences in breastfeeding duration by prepregnant maternal weight status, and determine whether body image concerns mediate any differences. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal cohort of primiparous women was followed from pregnancy to, at minimum, 6 months postpartum. Questionnaire responses on body concerns were obtained during pregnancy and at 4 months postpartum. Kaplan-Meier curves compared breastfeeding duration in ov…
Secular trends in the fat and fat-free components of body mass index in children aged 8–18 years born 1958–1995
Because the long term trend in childhood BMI in boys appears to be driven by an increase in total body adiposity, evidence is provided to support current knowledge on the predicted deleterious long-term consequences of the childhood obesity epidemic in boys. Research is needed to confirm whether recent changes in BMI in girls are due to increases in fat-free mass resulting from changes in behaviour and lifestyle not yet manifest in boys
Inverse association between adiposity and telomere length: The fels longitudinal study
OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between telomere length and adiposity, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in addition to conventional anthropometric proxies including body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 309 non-Hispanic white participants in the Fels Longitudinal Study aged 8 to 80 yr (52% female) was included. Average telomere l…
Growing into obesity: Patterns of height growth in those who become normal weight, overweight, or obese as young adults
OBJECTIVES: To study whether patterns of height growth differ by adult obesity status, and determine the contribution of subcutaneous fatness as an explanatory variable for any differences. STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter, prospective longitudinal cohort assessed in 3rd grade (8.8 years), 5th grade (11.1 years), 8th grade (14.1 years), and 12th grade (18.3 years). Exposures were young adult obesity status classified by CDC adult BMI categories at 12t…
Body fat is differentially related to body mass index in U.S.‐born African‐American and East African immigrant girls
Objective: To examine ethnic differences in adiposity at a given body mass index (BMI) in a sample of U.S.‐born African‐American and East African immigrant adolescent girls. Methods: In a sample of black adolescent girls ( n = 79; ages 14–20) we compared measures of adiposity across the range of BMI‐for‐age among 55 U.S.‐born African‐American (mean BMI: 30.4; age: 15.4) and 24 East African immigrant girls (mean BMI: 21.8; age: 16.7). Fat and fat‐…
Significant associations of age, menopausal status and lifestyle factors with visceral adiposity in African-American and European-American women
Greater allocation of abdominal adipose tissue into the visceral compartment occurs in EA than AA women and in older than younger women. Avoidance of cigarette smoking and frequent participation in sports activities may partially counteract this deleterious phenomenon of ageing
Blood pressure and lifestyle on Saba, Netherlands Antilles
During the 20th century, infectious disease morbidity and mortality generally waned whereas chronic degenerative diseases posed a growing burden at the global level. The population on Saba, Netherlands Antilles has recently experienced such an epidemiologic transition, and hypertension was reported to be extraordinarily high, although no prevalences have been reported and relationships with lifestyle factors associated with rapid modernization ha…
Genetic analysis of self-reported physical activity and adiposity: The Southwest Ohio Family Study
Objective Physical inactivity poses a major risk for obesity and chronic disease, and is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. However, the genetic association between physical activity (PA) level and obesity is not well characterized. Our aims were to: (i) estimate the extent of additive genetic influences on physical activity while adjusting for household effects; and (ii) determine whether physical activity and adiposity measur…
Presentation, Heritability, and Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis the Midchildhood Growth Spurt in Healthy Children from the Fels Longitudinal Study
Growth is a complex process composed of distinct phases over the course of childhood. Although the pubertal growth spurt has received the most attention from auxologists and pediatricians, the midchildhood growth spurt has been less well studied. The midchildhood growth spurt refers to a relatively small increase in growth velocity observed in some, but not necessarily all, children in early to middle childhood. If present, the midchildhood growt…
Presentation, Heritability, and Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis of the Midchildhood Growth Spurt in Healthy Children from the Fels Longitudinal Study
Growth is a complex process composed of distinct phases over the course of childhood. Although the pubertal growth spurt has received the most attention from auxologists and pediatricians, the midchildhood growth spurt has been less well studied. The midchildhood growth spurt refers to a relatively small increase in growth velocity observed in some, but not necessarily all, children in early to middle childhood. If present, the midchildhood growt…
Quantitative genetics of modern human cranial variation
Genetic Architecture of Knee Radiographic Joint Space in Healthy Young Adults
Evidence of a significant genetic component to the age-related degenerative joint disease osteoarthritis has been established, but the nature of genetic influences on normal joint morphology in healthy individuals remains unclear. Following up on our previous findings on the influence of body habitus on phenotypic variation in knee joint space [Duren et al., Human Biology 78:353–364 (2006)], the objective of the current study was to estimate the …
Critical periods in human growth and their relationship to diseases of aging
It has long been recognized that there are "critical periods" during mammalian development when exposure to specific environmental stimuli are required in order to elicit the normal development of particular anatomical structures or their normal functioning. The responses of the organism to these stimuli depend on a specific level of anatomical maturation and a state of rapid anatomical and/or functional change. This discussion of critical period…
Heritability of age at menarche in girls from the Fels Longitudinal Study
Menarche is the hallmark maturational event of female childhood. Many studies indicated a significant genetic contribution to the timing of the onset of menstruation, but most of these studies were limited by the use of retrospective data and by the use of data from only certain types of relatives (i.e., mothers and daughters, sisters, or twin sisters). The primary goal of this study was to use a modern maximum likelihood quantitative genetic met…
Quantitative genetics of modern human cranial variation
Presentation, Heritability, and Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis the Midchildhood Growth Spurt in Healthy Children from the Fels Longitudinal Study
Growth is a complex process composed of distinct phases over the course of childhood. Although the pubertal growth spurt has received the most attention from auxologists and pediatricians, the midchildhood growth spurt has been less well studied. The midchildhood growth spurt refers to a relatively small increase in growth velocity observed in some, but not necessarily all, children in early to middle childhood. If present, the midchildhood growt…
In memoriam: Barbara Honeyman Heath Roll (1910–1998)
In memoriam: Barbara Honeyman Heath Roll (1910-1998)
The relationship of soluble Icam-1, VCAM-1, P-selectin and E-selectin to cardiovascular disease risk factors in healthy men and women
There were no sex differences in the concentrations of sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and sPSEL, but men had higher sESEL levels than women (p < 0.0001). Male and female smokers had higher sICAM-1 and sESEL levels than non-smokers and soluble cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) were correlated with the pack-years of cigarette smoking (r = 0.3-0.4, p < 0.0001, significant in women only). Significant independent associations were found between soluble CAMs and smokin…
Critical periods in human growth and their relationship to diseases of aging
It has long been recognized that there are "critical periods" during mammalian development when exposure to specific environmental stimuli are required in order to elicit the normal development of particular anatomical structures or their normal functioning. The responses of the organism to these stimuli depend on a specific level of anatomical maturation and a state of rapid anatomical and/or functional change. This discussion of critical period…
Rising Life Expectancy: A Global History (review)
Between 1800 and 2000, life expectancy at birth rose from about 30 years to a global average of 67 years, and to more than 75 years in favored countries. This dramatic change, called the health transition, fundamentally altered patterns of human survivorship and cause of death. During this transition, the predominant causes of death have shifted from infectious diseases with a short course, to chronic diseases, often with a protracted course. The…
Recent decline in age at menarche: The Fels Longitudinal Study
A number of recent reports suggest that the average age at menarche of US girls has declined over the past 20 years. Because the putative declines in the age at menarche are concurrent with increases in childhood body mass index (BMI), it has been suggested that these two trends may be causally linked. We examined differences in mean age of menarche in Fels Longitudinal Study girls who were born in six 10‐year birth cohorts (1930s, 1940s, 1950s, …
Heritability of age at menarche in girls from the Fels Longitudinal Study
Menarche is the hallmark maturational event of female childhood. Many studies indicated a significant genetic contribution to the timing of the onset of menstruation, but most of these studies were limited by the use of retrospective data and by the use of data from only certain types of relatives (i.e., mothers and daughters, sisters, or twin sisters). The primary goal of this study was to use a modern maximum likelihood quantitative genetic met…
Genetic factors in physical growth and development and their relationship to subsequent health outcomes
Normal physical growth during childhood is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. However, few studies have examined whether there are shared genetic effects between aspects of child growth and later health outcomes. In this study, we estimate the influence of genetic factors on growth in stature during childhood and determine whether there are pleiotropic effects of genes influencing both childhood growth and later adult health ou…
Genetic and environmental influences on infant weight and weight change: The Fels longitudinal study
Despite significant progress in understanding the mechanisms by which the prenatal/maternal environment can alter development and adult health, genetic influences on normal variation in growth are little understood. This work examines genetic and nongenetic contributions to body weight and weight change during infancy and the relationships between weight change and adult body composition. The dataset included 501 white infants in 164 nuclear and …
Sex differences in young adulthood metabolic syndrome and physical activity: The Fels longitudinal study
Objective. To evaluate the effects of habitual physical activity (PA) on the metabolic syndrome (MS) in young adult men and women. Research methods and procedures. Cross‐sectional PA data were utilized from 249 women and 237 men, aged 18–40 years in the Fels Longitudinal Study. MS components—abdominal circumference (AC), triglycerides (TG), HDL, blood pressure (BP), and fasting glucose (FG)—were dichotomized according to the National Cholesterol …
New saliva DNA collection method compared to buccal cell collection techniques for epidemiological studies
Epidemiological studies may require noninvasive methods for off‐site DNA collection. We compared the DNA yield and quality obtained using a whole‐saliva collection device (OrageneTM DNA collection kit) to those from three established noninvasive methods (cytobrush, foam swab, and oral rinse). Each method was tested on 17 adult volunteers from our center, using a random crossover collection design and analyzed using repeated‐measures statistics. D…
Presentation, Heritability, and Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis the Midchildhood Growth Spurt in Healthy Children from the Fels Longitudinal Study
Growth is a complex process composed of distinct phases over the course of childhood. Although the pubertal growth spurt has received the most attention from auxologists and pediatricians, the midchildhood growth spurt has been less well studied. The midchildhood growth spurt refers to a relatively small increase in growth velocity observed in some, but not necessarily all, children in early to middle childhood. If present, the midchildhood growt…
Presentation, Heritability, and Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis of the Midchildhood Growth Spurt in Healthy Children from the Fels Longitudinal Study
Growth is a complex process composed of distinct phases over the course of childhood. Although the pubertal growth spurt has received the most attention from auxologists and pediatricians, the midchildhood growth spurt has been less well studied. The midchildhood growth spurt refers to a relatively small increase in growth velocity observed in some, but not necessarily all, children in early to middle childhood. If present, the midchildhood growt…
Quantitative genetics of modern human cranial variation
Genetic Architecture of Knee Radiographic Joint Space in Healthy Young Adults
Evidence of a significant genetic component to the age-related degenerative joint disease osteoarthritis has been established, but the nature of genetic influences on normal joint morphology in healthy individuals remains unclear. Following up on our previous findings on the influence of body habitus on phenotypic variation in knee joint space [Duren et al., Human Biology 78:353–364 (2006)], the objective of the current study was to estimate the …
Blood pressure and lifestyle on Saba, Netherlands Antilles
During the 20th century, infectious disease morbidity and mortality generally waned whereas chronic degenerative diseases posed a growing burden at the global level. The population on Saba, Netherlands Antilles has recently experienced such an epidemiologic transition, and hypertension was reported to be extraordinarily high, although no prevalences have been reported and relationships with lifestyle factors associated with rapid modernization ha…
Genetic analysis of self-reported physical activity and adiposity: The Southwest Ohio Family Study
Objective Physical inactivity poses a major risk for obesity and chronic disease, and is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. However, the genetic association between physical activity (PA) level and obesity is not well characterized. Our aims were to: (i) estimate the extent of additive genetic influences on physical activity while adjusting for household effects; and (ii) determine whether physical activity and adiposity measur…
Significant associations of age, menopausal status and lifestyle factors with visceral adiposity in African-American and European-American women
Greater allocation of abdominal adipose tissue into the visceral compartment occurs in EA than AA women and in older than younger women. Avoidance of cigarette smoking and frequent participation in sports activities may partially counteract this deleterious phenomenon of ageing
Inverse association between adiposity and telomere length: The fels longitudinal study
OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between telomere length and adiposity, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in addition to conventional anthropometric proxies including body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 309 non-Hispanic white participants in the Fels Longitudinal Study aged 8 to 80 yr (52% female) was included. Average telomere l…
Growing into obesity: Patterns of height growth in those who become normal weight, overweight, or obese as young adults
OBJECTIVES: To study whether patterns of height growth differ by adult obesity status, and determine the contribution of subcutaneous fatness as an explanatory variable for any differences. STUDY DESIGN: A multicenter, prospective longitudinal cohort assessed in 3rd grade (8.8 years), 5th grade (11.1 years), 8th grade (14.1 years), and 12th grade (18.3 years). Exposures were young adult obesity status classified by CDC adult BMI categories at 12t…
Body fat is differentially related to body mass index in U.S.‐born African‐American and East African immigrant girls
Objective: To examine ethnic differences in adiposity at a given body mass index (BMI) in a sample of U.S.‐born African‐American and East African immigrant adolescent girls. Methods: In a sample of black adolescent girls ( n = 79; ages 14–20) we compared measures of adiposity across the range of BMI‐for‐age among 55 U.S.‐born African‐American (mean BMI: 30.4; age: 15.4) and 24 East African immigrant girls (mean BMI: 21.8; age: 16.7). Fat and fat‐…
Body image concerns and reduced breastfeeding duration in primiparous overweight and obese women
OBJECTIVES: To test differences in breastfeeding duration by prepregnant maternal weight status, and determine whether body image concerns mediate any differences. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal cohort of primiparous women was followed from pregnancy to, at minimum, 6 months postpartum. Questionnaire responses on body concerns were obtained during pregnancy and at 4 months postpartum. Kaplan-Meier curves compared breastfeeding duration in ov…
Secular trends in the fat and fat-free components of body mass index in children aged 8–18 years born 1958–1995
Because the long term trend in childhood BMI in boys appears to be driven by an increase in total body adiposity, evidence is provided to support current knowledge on the predicted deleterious long-term consequences of the childhood obesity epidemic in boys. Research is needed to confirm whether recent changes in BMI in girls are due to increases in fat-free mass resulting from changes in behaviour and lifestyle not yet manifest in boys
Wrist breadth and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in youth: The fels longitudinal study
OBJECTIVES: There is biological crosstalk between insulin signaling and bone remodeling pathways, and wrist circumference and bone area were recently found to associate with insulin resistance independent of body mass index (BMI) in overweight/obese children. We aimed to expand on this work by using more specific measures of adiposity for adjustment and examining children with broader range of BMI. METHODS: We used serial data (1,051 total measur…
Characterization of the infant BMI peak: Sex differences, birth year cohort effects, association with concurrent adiposity, and heritability
OBJECTIVES: To characterize an early trait in the BMI-for-age curve, the infant BMI peak. METHODS: BMI-for-age curves were produced for 747 non-Hispanic, white Fels Longitudinal Study participants, from which individual age (AgePeak ) and BMI (BMIPeak ) at maximum infant BMI were estimated. Multivariable general linear regression was used to examine the effects of sex and birth year cohort (1929-1950, 1951-1970, and 1971-2010) on AgePeak and BMIP…
Medicine (34 works) · Internal Medicine (24 works) · Body mass index (19 works) · Demography (19 works) · Endocrinology (17 works) · Biology (14 works) · Obesity (13 works) · Birth, Development, and Health (11 works) · Longitudinal study (11 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (11 works)