Sex differences in infant blood metabolite profile in association with weight and adiposity measures

Area of Science:

• Metabolomics
• Pediatric Research
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolic profiling enables quantification of numerous metabolites.
• While metabolite profiles in adolescence are influenced by age, sex, and BMI, early-life data are scarce.
• This study addresses the limited understanding of infant metabolic profiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between infant sex, birth weight, and 12-month anthropometric/adiposity measures with their NMR metabolic profiles.
• To identify sex-specific metabolic patterns in early life.

Main Methods:

• Quantified plasma NMR metabolic profiles in 485 infants from the Barwon Infant Study.
• Examined associations between 74 metabolites and sex, birth weight z-score, and 12-month weight z-score, skinfold thickness, and weight-for-length z-score.
• Utilized linear regression models for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Girls exhibited higher levels of certain cholesterol and fatty acid metabolites compared to boys (0.2-0.3 SD).
• Modest sex-specific associations were found between birth weight z-scores and 12-month sum of skinfold thicknesses with metabolites.
• Weight z-score and weight-for-length z-score associations with metabolites at 12 months were more pronounced in girls, especially for fatty acid ratios.

Conclusions:

• Distinct sex differences in infant metabolic profiles were identified.
• Observed sex-specific patterns diverge from those reported in older children and adults.
• Modest cross-sectional associations between anthropometric/adiposity measures and metabolites were noted, with some being sex-specific.