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Body Composition Trajectories From Infancy to Preschool in Children Born Premature Versus Full-term
Johannah M Scheurer1, Lei Zhang, Heather L Gray
1*Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics †Biostatistical Design and Analysis Center ‡Medical School §Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
Insights
Children born prematurely and full-term have similar body composition at preschool age. Infancy fat-free mass gains, not fat gains, in preterms correlate with preschool fat-free mass, potentially reducing later obesity risk.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Premature infants exhibit distinct early growth patterns compared to full-term infants.
- Understanding longitudinal body composition trajectories is crucial for assessing long-term health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally characterize body composition from infancy to preschool age in premature versus full-term infants.
- To investigate the association between early fat and fat-free mass gains and preschool body composition.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 20 preterm and 51 term infants were followed at three visits: neonatal (2 weeks corrected age), infancy (3-4 months corrected age), and preschool (4 years).
- Body composition was assessed using air displacement plethysmography and anthropometrics.
- Tracking and serial associations were analyzed using Pearson partial correlation and multiple linear regression.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in body composition were observed between premature and full-term children at preschool age.
- Infancy body composition measurements (visit 2) correlated with preschool measurements, unlike neonatal measurements (visit 1) in preterm infants.
- Fat-free mass accretion from infancy to preschool positively associated with preschool lean mass in preterm children (β=0.038, P=0.049), while fat accretion did not show significant association.
Conclusions:
- Premature and full-term children achieve similar body composition by preschool age.
- In preterm children, infancy fat-free mass gains, not fat gains, are linked to preschool fat-free mass.
- These findings suggest that infancy fat-free mass accretion in preterms may be a protective factor against later obesity and metabolic issues.
Objectives:
The aim of the study was to longitudinally characterize infancy to preschool body composition trajectories and the association of early fat and fat-free mass gains with preschool age body composition in children born premature versus full-term.
Methods:
A cohort of appropriate-for-gestational age preterm (n = 20) and term (n = 51) infants were followed at 3 visits: "neonatal" visit 1 at 2 weeks of age for term and near term corrected age for preterm; "infancy" visit 2 at 3 to 4 months (preterm corrected age); "preschool" visit 3 at 4 years. Body composition via air displacement plethysmography and anthropometrics were measured at all visits. Tracking of infancy weight and body composition with preschool measurements was tested using Pearson partial correlation coefficients. Associations between serial body composition measurements were assessed using multiple linear regression.
Results:
Early differences in body composition between premature (mean gestational age 31.9 weeks, mean birth weight 1843 g) and full-term (mean gestational age 39.8 weeks) infants were not present at preschool age. Visit 1 body composition was not correlated with preschool measurements in the preterm infants. Visit 2 measurements were correlated with preschool measures. Fat-free mass accretion from visit 1 to visit 2 was positively associated with preschool lean mass (β = 0.038, P = 0.049) in preterm children, whereas fat accretion was not associated with preschool body composition.
Conclusions:
Children born prematurely and full-term have similar body composition at preschool age. For preterms infancy fat-free mass gains, and not adiposity gains, are positively associated with preschool fat-free mass; this may be associated with lower risk of later obesity and adverse metabolic outcomes.
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