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Fetal nutrition and muscle oxygen supply in childhood
Fiona Arrowsmith1, Julie Ward, Andrew Ling
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Insights
Low ponderal index (PI) at birth, even in normal birth weight children, is linked to poorer muscle oxygen supply in early childhood. This association disappears by adolescence, suggesting developmental changes in physiological regulation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Metabolic Health
- Physiology
Background:
- Fetal undernutrition and low birth weight are associated with increased risks of insulin resistance syndrome and endothelial dysfunction later in life.
- Ponderal index (PI), a measure of body mass relative to length, may offer insights into early physiological development.
- Assessing muscle oxygenation and metabolic risk factors in childhood is crucial for understanding long-term health trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between birth characteristics (birth weight, PI) and physiological markers in prepubertal and adolescent children.
- To examine associations between PI and muscle oxygen supply, as well as risk factors for insulin resistance syndrome.
- To determine if these associations differ between prepubertal and adolescent age groups.
Main Methods:
- Studied 59 children with birth weights >2.5 kg, excluding low birth weight individuals.
- Measured muscle oxygen supply using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).
- Assessed body composition (fat volumes, percentage body fat) and metabolic markers (leptin, insulin, glucose).
Main Results:
- Birth weight was not significantly associated with muscle oxygen supply or metabolic risk factors.
- In prepubertal children, a lower PI at birth was inversely correlated with muscle reoxygenation half-time in both sexes.
- This inverse relationship between PI and muscle oxygen supply was absent in the adolescent group.
Conclusions:
- Low ponderal index at birth, independent of birth weight, is associated with impaired muscle oxygen supply in early childhood.
- This physiological link appears to diminish or resolve during adolescence.
- Findings highlight the importance of early anthropometric measures for predicting later physiological function.
Abstract:
Fetal undernutrition may increase the risk of insulin resistance syndrome in adult life and low birth weight carries with it the risk of endothelial dysfunction. We studied 59 prepubertal and adolescent children whose birth weight exceeded 2.5 kg. We related their birth weight and ponderal index (PI) (weight/length(3)) at birth to muscle oxygen supply (assessed by near infrared spectroscopy [NIRS]) and to variables associated with increased risk of developing the insulin resistance syndrome (ie, abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat volumes, percentage body fat, fasting leptin, insulin, and glucose levels). Birth weight was not associated with muscle oxygen supply or any other independent variable measured. In the prepubertal group, there was a significant inverse relation between PI and muscle reoxygenation half-time in both the male (R =.58, P =.03) and female (R =.72, P =.009) groups. This relationship was not present in either the male (R =.03, P =.90) or female (R =.09, P =.75) adolescent groups. In a population in which low birth weight subjects were excluded, low PI at birth is associated with poor muscle oxygen supply in early childhood, but this relationship is not present in adolescence.