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Published on: January 29, 2018
Early-life nutritional status as a determinant of bone density and hip joint morphology in children
Hongliang Liu1, Weizhang Zhang2, Guangxi Chen1
1Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Early childhood nutrition significantly impacts bone mineral density (BMD) and hip joint development. Suboptimal nutrition in infancy is linked to poorer bone health and hip morphology in children, highlighting the importance of early nutritional status for skeletal development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric skeletal development
- Nutritional science
- Orthopedic morphology
Background:
- Early childhood is critical for skeletal development, influenced by nutrition.
- Bone mineral density (BMD) and hip joint morphology are key indicators of skeletal health.
- Limited research compares BMD and hip morphology in children based on early nutrition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between early childhood nutritional status and hip joint morphology.
- To assess the association between early nutrition and bone mineral density (BMD) in children.
- To understand how infant feeding practices influence skeletal development outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 550 children aged 6-14 years.
- Utilized dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and hip radiography data.
- Nutritional status categorized as adequate or suboptimal based on infant feeding and development; adjusted for covariates.
Main Results:
- Children with suboptimal early nutrition exhibited lower BMD (Z-scores) and altered hip morphology.
- Nutritional optimization was associated with reduced risk of low bone density and hip deformities.
- An inverse relationship observed: poorer nutrition correlated with poorer skeletal performance.
Conclusions:
- Early-life nutrition is significantly associated with childhood bone mineral density and hip joint morphology.
- Early nutritional exposures appear crucial for children's skeletal health.
- Retrospective nature limits causal inference but highlights the importance of early nutrition.
Background:
Early childhood is an important period of skeletal development during which nutritional exposures can affect mineral accretion and joint morphology. Nonetheless, few studies have compared bone mineral density (BMD) and hip joint morphology in children.
Objectives:
The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the nutritional status of children at an early age and the BMD and morphology of hip joints in children.
Methods:
It was a retrospective cohort study of 550 children aged 614 years who had the data of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and hip radiography (January 2021-December 2025). The nutritional status of infants in early life was defined as adequate or suboptimal based on the infant's feeding practices and developmental indicators. Regression analyses were performed using multivariate models, adjusting for age, sex, birth weight, BMI, gestational age, physical activity, and vitamin D supplementation.
Results:
The children who were fed poorly in their early life had poorer total-body and site-specific Z-scores of BMD and a more prevalent incidence of altered hip morphology. After adjustment, nutritional optimization remained strongly associated with low BMD and increased risk of low bone density and hip deformities. There was an inverse-proportional relationship, graded, whereby low nutritional scores were associated with low skeletal performance.
Conclusion:
Nutritional status in early-life was found to be significantly connected with the bone mineral density and morphology of hip joints in childhood. The results indicate that early nutritional exposures may play an important role in children's skeletal health, but it is impossible to draw causal conclusions because the study is retrospective.
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