Predictors of Infant Body Composition at 5 Months of Age: The Healthy Start Study
Katherine A Sauder1, Jill L Kaar1, Anne P Starling2
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO.
Insights
Infant body composition at 5 months differs by maternal factors and feeding. Exclusive breastfeeding was linked to higher fat mass and adiposity, while birth adiposity persisted. Further research is warranted.
Area of Science:
- Human development
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional science
Background:
- Infant body composition is influenced by various factors.
- Understanding these influences is crucial for child health.
- Early life factors can have long-term health implications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between demographic, perinatal, and infant feeding characteristics and offspring body composition at 5 months of age.
- To analyze how factors like maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, infant feeding practices, and ethnicity relate to infant fat-free mass, fat mass, and adiposity.
- To determine the persistence of adiposity from birth to 5 months, independent of infant feeding and growth.
Main Methods:
- Data from 640 mother/offspring pairs were collected from pregnancy to 5 months postpartum.
- Offspring body composition (fat-free mass, fat mass, percent fat mass) was measured using air displacement plethysmography at birth and 5 months.
- Linear regression analyses were employed to examine associations, with secondary models adjusting for birth body composition and rapid infant growth.
Main Results:
- Higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain were associated with greater fat-free mass at 5 months, but this was not independent of birth fat-free mass.
- Greater gestational weight gain was linked to increased fat mass at 5 months, independent of birth fat mass and rapid infant growth, without affecting overall adiposity.
- Exclusive breastfeeding was associated with lower fat-free mass, higher fat mass, and greater adiposity at 5 months.
- Infant adiposity varied by maternal ethnicity, with Hispanic infants showing higher adiposity and non-Hispanic Black infants showing lower adiposity compared to non-Hispanic White infants.
- Adiposity at birth was a strong predictor of adiposity at 5 months, irrespective of infant feeding and growth.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences in infant body composition exist based on demographic, perinatal, and infant feeding factors.
- Adiposity established at birth tends to persist through the first 5 months of life.
- Findings highlight the need for further investigation into the implications of these early-life body composition differences.
Objective:
To examine associations of demographic, perinatal, and infant feeding characteristics with offspring body composition at approximately 5 months of age.
Study Design:
We collected data on 640 mother/offspring pairs from early pregnancy through approximately 5 months of age. We assessed offspring body composition with air displacement plethysmography at birth and approximately 5 months of age. Linear regression analyses examined associations between predictors and fat-free mass, fat mass, and percent fat mass (adiposity) at approximately 5 months. Secondary models further adjusted for body composition at birth and rapid infant growth.
Results:
Greater prepregnant body mass index and gestational weight gain were associated with greater fat-free mass at approximately 5 months of age, but not after adjustment for fat-free mass at birth. Greater gestational weight gain was also associated with greater fat mass at approximately 5 months of age, independent of fat mass at birth and rapid infant growth, although this did not translate into increased adiposity. Greater percent time of exclusive breastfeeding was associated with lower fat-free mass (-311 g; P < .001), greater fat mass (+224 g; P < .001), and greater adiposity (+3.51%; P < .001). Compared with offspring of non-Hispanic white mothers, offspring of Hispanic mothers had greater adiposity (+2.72%; P < .001) and offspring of non-Hispanic black mothers had lower adiposity (-1.93%; P < .001). Greater adiposity at birth predicted greater adiposity at approximately 5 months of age, independent of infant feeding and rapid infant growth.
Conclusions:
There are clear differences in infant body composition by demographic, perinatal, and infant feeding characteristics, although our data also show that increased adiposity at birth persists through approximately 5 months of age. Our findings warrant further research into implications of differences in infant body composition.
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