Body composition in healthy singleton term infants using the three-dimensional photonic scanning method: A...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Body Composition Analysis
• Growth and Development

Background:

• Body composition is crucial for assessing infant nutritional status and predicting future health.
• Three-dimensional photonic body surface scanning (3-DPS) offers a non-invasive, cost-effective method for pediatric body composition measurement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To illustrate infant body composition growth trajectories using 3-DPS.
• To analyze these trajectories by sex and age.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter cross-sectional study involving 8769 healthy term infants in Shandong Province, China.
• Body composition indicators including fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), FM percentage (FM%), FM index (FMI), and FFM index (FFMI) were measured using 3-DPS.
• Percentile curves were constructed using the generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape method.

Main Results:

• Fat mass and fat-free mass growth mirrored weight trajectories, with rapid increases from 1 to 3 months.
• Fat mass percentage, FM index, and FFMI increased until 6 months, then declined, similar to BMI trends.
• Boys generally exhibited higher FM and FM-related indicators than girls, suggesting sex-specific fat accumulation.

Conclusions:

• Infant body composition significantly varies with age.
• Sex differences in body composition during infancy are primarily related to fat mass accumulation, with boys showing higher levels.