Short Stature Is Associated With Overweight but Not With High Energy Intake in Low-Income Quilombola Women.

Background: Population exposed to chronic undernutrition in early life seems to be more susceptible to obesity in adulthood due to the development of mechanisms that improve the efficiency of energy use. Therefore, these individuals have relatively reduced energy requirements (thrifty phenotype).

Objective: To investigate, among women living on severe socioeconomic vulnerability, whether short stature, a marker for undernutrition in early life, is associated with excess body weight but not with a high energy intake.