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Bone mass in First Nations, Asian and white newborn infants

Hope A Weiler1, Shirley C Fitzpatrick-Wong, Jeannine M Schellenberg

  • 1School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada. hope.weiler@mcgill.ca

Growth, Development, and Aging : GDA
|August 20, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Newborn bone mass differs by ethnicity, with Asian infants showing lower spine bone mineral content (BMC) than white or First Nations infants, independent of vitamin D levels.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Nutritional Science
  • Anthropology

Background:

  • Bone mass accrual in newborns is influenced by maternal factors, including vitamin D status.
  • Ethnic variations in bone mineral density (BMD) have been observed in various populations.
  • Understanding early-life bone development is crucial for long-term skeletal health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare bone mass in newborn infants of First Nations, white, and Asian mothers.
  • To investigate the influence of vitamin D status on infant bone mass across ethnic groups.
  • To identify potential ethnic disparities in neonatal bone development.

Main Methods:

  • Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure bone mass in 50 healthy term infants.
  • Cord plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels assessed vitamin D status.
  • Infants were stratified by ethnicity and vitamin D sufficiency for comparative analysis using ANOVA.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in whole body, spine, or femur bone mineral content (BMC) were found between vitamin D sufficient and insufficient white infants.
  • Asian infants exhibited significantly lower spine BMC compared to white infants (P < 0.01); First Nations infants showed intermediate values.
  • No ethnic differences were observed in whole body or femur BMC, suggesting ethnicity-specific variations primarily in spinal bone mass.

Conclusions:

  • White and First Nations newborn infants demonstrate comparable bone mass.
  • Asian newborns present with reduced spine bone mass, a finding independent of vitamin D status at birth and body size.
  • Ethnic background is a significant factor in neonatal spine bone mass accrual, warranting further investigation.
Abstract

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