Study selection and data extraction
Studies were considered eligible if they compared CVD risk factors between the following comparison groups: (1) women who gave birth to SGA infants compared to women who gave birth to AGA infants, (2) women who gave birth to LBW infants (birthweight ≤2500g) compared to women who gave birth to normal birthweight (birthweight >2500g) infants, (3) women who gave birth to infants diagnosed with IUGR with women who gave birth to non-IUGR infants. Studies that reported an association between maternal CVD mortality/CVD occurrence and offspring size at birth were also included. SGA was defined as birthweight below the 10th population or customised birthweight centile; LBW was defined as birthweight below 2500g; and IUGR was defined as true documented intrauterine growth restriction or an accepted surrogate diagnosis of IUGR, i.e. birthweight <5thpopulation or customised birthweight centile and abnormal umbilical artery Doppler results. Definitions of SGA/LBW and IUGR used in the included studies are detailed in table 1. The outcomes assessed were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), triglycerides, fasting blood glucose (BG), fasting insulin, and CVD mortality. Data from studies classifying infants as SGA, LBW and IUGR were analysed as separate groups. Studies that did not have the above definitions, those that did not define the comparison groups and those that compared women who gave birth to small babies with another risk group were excluded. All selected studies were published in peer-reviewed journals, undertaken in humans, and published in English.