Determinants and consequences of major insulin-like growth factor components among full-term healthy neonates.

The purpose of this research was to investigate determinants of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system among healthy full-term newborns and explore their relation with anthropometric variables at birth. Components of the IGF system have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several forms of cancer, and perinatal events have been linked to chronic diseases in later life. Measurements of weight and length, as well as blood samples, were obtained from 331 healthy full-term newborns delivered during 1999 in Athens, Greece.