Body composition at birth and its relationship with neonatal anthropometric ratios: the newborn body composition study of the INTERGROWTH-21st project
A new study on Pediatric Research Journal focuses on body composition at birth and its relationship with neonatal anthropometric ratios.
This study objective is to describe newborn body composition and identify which anthropometric ratio (weight/length; BMI; or ponderal index, PI) best predicts fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM).
The availability of air displacement plethysmography (PEA POD) has helped in the understanding of newborn body composition and the implications of feeding regimens especially for preterm and growth-restricted newborns.
The study evaluates newborn air displacement plethysmography-derived data across a range of GAs from the Oxford site of the Newborn Body Composition Study (NBCS) of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project, in which mothers and their babies were monitored prospectively from early pregnancy to 2 years of age.
The study conclusions are that "weight/length best predicts newborn FFM and FM. There are differential FM, FFM, and BF% patterns by sex, GA, and size at birth".
The article details are the following:
- Title: "Body composition at birth and its relationship with neonatal anthropometric ratios: the newborn body composition study of the INTERGROWTH-21st project"
- Authors: José Villar, Fabien A Puglia, [...], and Zulfiqar A Bhutta
- Published in: Pediatr Res. 2017 Aug;82(2):305-316
The full study can be freely downloaded at the following link: click here
