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No relative increase in intra-abdominal adipose tissue in healthy unstressed preterm infants at term
Paola Roggero1, Maria Lorella Giannì, Laura Forzenigo
1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Insights
Preterm infants have higher total body fat mass but lower intra-abdominal adipose tissue compared to term infants. This suggests prematurity alters body composition, impacting future metabolic and cardiovascular health risks.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Body composition analysis
Background:
- Preterm infants face risks of altered adiposity, a precursor to metabolic and cardiovascular issues.
- Understanding body composition differences is crucial for long-term infant health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare body composition, including total body fat mass (FM) and adipose tissue (AT) distribution (subcutaneous vs. intra-abdominal), between preterm and term infants.
- To investigate the impact of prematurity on infant adiposity.
Main Methods:
- Observational, cross-sectional study of 50 preterm and 34 term infants.
- Body composition assessed at 40-42 weeks postconceptional age (preterm) and within 15 days of birth (term).
- Total body FM measured via air displacement plethysmography; subcutaneous and intra-abdominal AT assessed using MRI.
Main Results:
- Preterm infants exhibited significantly higher total body FM and subcutaneous abdominal AT compared to term infants.
- Preterm infants showed significantly lower fat-free mass and intra-abdominal AT than term infants.
- Statistical significance noted for all comparisons (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Prematurity is associated with increased total body fat mass but not a relative increase in intra-abdominal adipose tissue.
- These findings are relevant for preterm infants without severe comorbidities during hospitalization.
- Altered body composition in preterm infants warrants further investigation for long-term health implications.
Background:
Preterm infants may be at risk for altered adiposity, a known risk factor for unfavorable metabolic and cardiovascular outcomes.
Objectives:
The aim was to compare body composition (total body fat mass (FM), subcutaneous and intra-abdominal adipose tissue (AT)) between infants born preterm and at term.
Methods:
We conducted an observational, cross-sectional study that involved 50 infants born preterm free from major co-morbidities and 34 term healthy breastfed infants. Anthropometric measurements, body composition (total body FM, subcutaneous and intra-abdominal AT) were assessed at 40-42 weeks postconceptional age for preterm infants and within 15 days of birth for term infants. Total body FM was assessed by an air displacement plethysmography system and subcutaneous abdominal and intra-abdominal AT were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging using a commercially available software program.
Results:
Compared to term infants, mean (SD) total body FM (g) (636.7 (247) vs. 418.4 (253), p < 0.0001) and mean (SD) subcutaneous abdominal AT (g) (123 (36) vs. 98.9 (22), p < 0.001) were significantly higher in preterm infants but mean (SD) fat-free mass (g) (2,530 (420) vs. 2,965 (389), p < 0.0001) and mean (SD) intra-abdominal AT (10.9 (5.2) vs. 18.2 (13.2), p = 0.001) were significantly lower.
Conclusions:
In the absence of severe illness during the hospital stay, prematurity, although associated with increased total body FM, does not appear to be associated with a relative increase in intra-abdominal AT compared to term infants.
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