Prenatal adipose tissue estimation using early second trimester anthropometry

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Prenatal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and total adipose tissue (TAT) are linked to gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
• Routine clinical assessment of prenatal VAT and TAT is not feasible.
• The utility of standard anthropometric measures for assessing adiposity in early pregnancy is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the associations between anthropometric measurements and prenatal VAT and TAT in the early second trimester.
• To evaluate how these associations differ based on prepregnancy BMI categories.

Main Methods:

• Whole-body MRI was used to assess TAT and VAT in 61 pregnant women at 15 weeks gestation.
• Anthropometric measures included waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), calf circumference (CC), thigh circumference (TC), and skinfolds (SF).
• Linear regression models predicted TAT and VAT based on prepregnancy BMI categories.

Main Results:

• TAT strongly correlated with BMI, WC, HC, MUAC, and TC.
• VAT showed moderate correlations with BMI, MUAC, and HC, with the strongest correlation with WC.
• Prediction models for TAT and VAT varied by BMI category, utilizing different combinations of anthropometrics like MUAC, HC, iliac SF, WC, and subscapular SF.

Conclusions:

• Anthropometric measures associated with prenatal adiposity are dependent on prepregnancy BMI.
• Effective prediction models for TAT and VAT were developed using specific anthropometric combinations for healthy vs. overweight/obese BMI categories.
• Integrating comprehensive anthropometrics into prenatal care can enhance risk identification and understanding of prenatal adiposity.