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Bone mineral content of Gambian and British children aged 0-36 months
A Prentice1, M A Laskey, J Shaw
1Medical Research Council Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, England.
Insights
Bone mineral content (BMC) in children increases with age and is higher in boys. Body size significantly influences BMC, with Gambian children showing lower bone density than British children, potentially due to nutrition.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Bone Health
- Human Growth and Development
- Nutritional Anthropology
Background:
- Bone mineral content (BMC) is a key indicator of bone health in children.
- Growth rates and nutritional status, particularly calcium intake, vary significantly between populations, impacting bone development.
- Understanding factors influencing pediatric BMC is crucial for assessing skeletal maturation and long-term health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of age, sex, and body size on radial bone mineral content (BMC) in British and Gambian children.
- To compare BMC between children from contrasting nutritional environments (UK vs. rural Gambia).
- To assess the impact of body size adjustments on observed differences in BMC.
Main Methods:
- Single-photon absorptiometry was used to measure radial bone mineral content (BMC) in 134 British and 243 rural Gambian children aged 0-36 months.
- Multiple regression analysis was employed to adjust BMC for body size parameters (height, weight, bone width).
- Nutritional status and growth rates were compared between the two study groups.
Main Results:
- BMC increased with age and was higher in boys (8% difference, P < 0.001) in both populations.
- Adjustment for body size reduced the age effect and the sex difference to 4% (P < 0.01).
- Gambian children exhibited significantly lower BMCs than British children, with a divergence from 11% at birth to 31% at 36 months, which persisted after body size adjustment (12% difference at 15 kg).
Conclusions:
- Age and sex are significant determinants of bone mineral content (BMC) in early childhood.
- Body size is a major confounding factor in assessing BMC, particularly when comparing diverse populations.
- Nutritional factors, such as low calcium intake in Gambian children, likely contribute to observed differences in pediatric bone density, warranting further investigation.
Abstract:
The influence of age, sex and body size on the bone mineral content of the radius (BMC) measured by single-photon absorptiometry has been studied in 134 British and 243 rural Gambian children aged 0-36 months. Growth rates and childhood nutrition, including calcium intakes, were markedly different in the two communities. In both groups BMC increased with age and was higher in boys (8%, P less than 0.001). Adjustment for body size (height, weight, bone width), using multiple regression analysis, removed the age effect and reduced the sex difference to 4% (P less than 0.01). Gambian children had significantly lower BMCs than British children of the same age (P less than 0.001), averaging 11% close to birth and diverging to a calculated difference of 31% at 36 months. The differential was reduced after adjustment for body size but remained significant (P less than 0.01) with BMC values diverging from birth to a predicted difference of 12% at 15 kg body weight. The extent to which these results reflect the low calcium intakes of Gambian children requires further study.