Timing of rapid weight gain and its effect on subsequent overweight or obesity in childhood: findings from a longitudinal birth cohort study.

Childhood RWG increased the risk of subsequent overweight or obesity, regardless of the specific time interval at which RWG occurred before the age of two years. The results reinforce the importance of monitoring childhood RWG continuously and show the risks of childhood RWG with respect to the development of overweight or obesity at preschool and school ages.