Long-term health in individuals born preterm or with low birth weight: A cohort study.

Preterm birth is associated with a higher long-term risk of obesity, whereas low birth weight is not. This study improves the understanding of the common idea that low birth weight is associated with a long-term risk of obesity, whereas it might depend on the cause of low birth weight. These findings provide new insights into the difficult distinction between the long-term adverse health effects of preterm birth and low birth weight.