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Extremely Preterm Infants Have a Higher Fat Mass Percentage in Comparison to Very Preterm Infants at Term-Equivalent

Marlies Bruckner1, Zahra Khan2, Christoph Binder3

  • 1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.

Frontiers in Pediatrics
|March 29, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Extremely preterm infants have higher fat mass at term-equivalent age. Optimized nutrition did not alter body composition differences based on gestational age or weight percentile in preterm infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatalogy
  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Body Composition Analysis

Background:

  • Early nutrition is crucial for preterm infant long-term health and development.
  • Body composition impacts future cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurocognitive outcomes.
  • Understanding body composition in preterm infants is vital for optimizing growth and health trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate body composition in preterm infants (<32 weeks gestation) at term-equivalent age.
  • To analyze the impact of an optimized nutritional strategy on preterm infant body composition.
  • To compare body composition between extremely preterm (<28 weeks) and very preterm (≥28 weeks) infants.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational study with secondary outcome analysis.
  • Body composition assessed using air displacement plethysmography (PEA POD).
  • Infants categorized by gestational age and weight percentile (AGA/SGA); nutrition followed ESPGHAN 2010 Guidelines.

Main Results:

  • Seventy-four preterm infants were analyzed (mean GA 28.7 weeks, birth weight 1,162g).
  • Extremely preterm infants showed significantly higher fat mass percentage (17.0%) than very preterm infants (15.5%).
  • No significant differences in fat mass percentage were observed based on weight percentiles (AGA vs. SGA).

Conclusions:

  • Extremely preterm infants exhibit higher fat mass percentage at term-equivalent age compared to very preterm infants.
  • Optimized nutritional support did not significantly alter body composition differences related to gestational age or weight percentile.
  • These findings highlight specific body composition characteristics in extremely preterm infants that warrant further investigation.

Keywords:
PEA PODair displacement plethysmographybody compositionfat massgestational agenutritionpretermweight percentile

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