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Published on: August 16, 2020
Subcutaneous fat stores related to weight in full-term neonates
Veronica Luque1, Georgina Mendez, Francesca Capdevila
1University Rovira i Virgili, Paediatrics Unit, C/Sant Llorenç 21, Reus, 43201 Spain. veronica.luque@urv.cat
Annals of Human Biology
|December 17, 2008
Summary
Newborn subcutaneous fat stores are linked to weight and skinfolds, influenced by gestational age. This study found fat storage doesn't clearly increase in full-term infants appropriate for gestational age.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Human growth and development
- Body composition analysis
Background:
- Subcutaneous fat stores in newborns correlate with weight and skinfolds.
- Gestational age significantly influences both weight and skinfolds.
- Limited research exists on the association between newborn fat stores, weight, and gestational age.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess fat storage in term newborns who are appropriately nourished.
- To analyze the relationship between anthropometric measurements and gestational age in healthy term infants.
- To provide data on body composition in appropriately nourished term neonates.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional observational study of 1259 singleton term newborns.
- Measurements included weight, length, tricipital skinfold (TSK), subscapular skinfold (SSK), and mid-upper arm (MUA) circumference at birth.
- Calculated MUA areas and TSK/W and SSK/W ratios, with data analyzed by gender and gestational age.
Main Results:
- Males had higher weight and length; females had higher TSK, SSK, MUA fat area, MUA fat percentage, TSK/W, and SSK/W.
- Weight and length increased with gestational age in both genders.
- Triceps skinfold/weight and subscapular skinfold/weight ratios significantly decreased with increasing gestational age in both genders.
Conclusions:
- Fat storage does not appear to continuously increase in the final period of gestation for term infants.
- Findings challenge the notion of continuous fat accumulation in late gestation for appropriately nourished, term newborns.
- The study highlights variations in fat distribution and its relationship with gestational age in healthy term infants.
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