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The growth and development of fat cells in infancy
Insights
This study reveals that increasing fat accumulation in infants is linked to larger fat cell size, a key factor in early childhood development. Understanding infant adipose tissue development is crucial for predicting adult fat stores.
Area of Science:
- Adipose tissue development
- Cell biology
- Human development
Background:
- Adult fat stores are hypothesized to relate to fat cell numbers developed in early childhood.
- Infant adipose tissue development is essential for testing this hypothesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the development of adipose tissue in fetuses and infants.
- To determine the relationship between fat accumulation and fat cell size and number during early life.
Main Methods:
- Studied adipose tissue from 13 fetuses (11-16 weeks gestation), 30 infants (1-28 months), and 2 preterm infants (28 weeks gestation).
- Isolated and fixed adipose tissue cells using a modified Hirsch and Gallian method (osmium tetroxide in buffered collidine).
- Estimated cell size and number to analyze adipose tissue cellularity.
Main Results:
- Two distinct cell populations were observed in fetal and infant adipose tissue: small, non-fat-containing cells and larger, fat-containing maturing cells.
- Small cells in early fat accumulation contribute significantly to the overall fat cell population.
- Increased fat accumulation in the first 6-12 months of life, indicated by skinfold thickness, linearly correlates with increased fat cell size.
Conclusions:
- Infant adipose tissue exhibits two cell populations, with small cells playing a role in early fat mass development.
- Fat cell size, not just number, is a critical factor in infant fat accumulation.
- The linear relationship between fat accumulation and cell size in early infancy supports further research into long-term metabolic health.
Abstract:
Studies on the development of adipose tissue in infancy would seem essential to test the hypothesis that adult fat stores relate to the numbers of fat cells developed during early childhood. Thirty infants aged from 1-28 months and 13 fetuses of approximately 11-16 weeks of gestation obtained at therapeutic abortion and two preterm infants of 28 weeks of gestation were studied. The cells of both fetal and infant adipose tissue were separated from connective tissue and fixed by treatment with osmium tetroxide in buffered collidine using a method modified from Hirsch and Gallian (J. Lipid Res.,9:100(1968) for estimation of cell size and number. In fetal and early infancy there are two populations of cells in adipose tissue. Small cells found in tissue before birth and the first months of postnatal life do not contain fat. The larger cells, which are fat containing, represent maturing fat cells. They are cells which include fat cells recognized by previous workers but up to 24.6% were found to be less than 25 micron in diameter. Small cells in the early stages of fat accumulation may make an important contribution to the cell population of fat mass. It is apparent that increasing fat accumulation in the first 6-12 months of life, as demonstrated by increased skinfold thickness measurements, is associated with increasing fat cell size and that this association bears a linear relationship.