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Parental body composition and infant energy expenditure
P S Davies1, J C Wells, C A Fieldhouse
1Infant and Child Nutrition Group, Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|May 1, 1995
Summary
Parental obesity does not appear to affect infant energy expenditure. This study found no link between parents' body mass index (BMI) and their infants' total energy expenditure (TEE) at 12 weeks old.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Human Physiology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Infant obesity is a growing concern.
- Parental overweight status is a potential risk factor for infant obesity.
- Reduced total energy expenditure (TEE) in infants has been hypothesized as a contributing factor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between parental nutritional status (body mass index, BMI) and infant total energy expenditure (TEE).
- To determine if parental BMI influences infant energy expenditure at 12 weeks of age.
Main Methods:
- Measured TEE using the doubly labeled water method in 124 healthy infants at 12 weeks of age.
- Assessed parental nutritional status via body mass index (BMI).
- Measured sleeping metabolic rate (SMR) in a subset of infants using indirect calorimetry.
Main Results:
- No relationship was found between any measure of infant energy expenditure and parental BMI.
- Infants born to parents with high BMI showed no difference in TEE compared to infants of parents with low BMI.
- Physical activity indexes (TEE/SMR and TEE-SMR) were not associated with parental BMI.
Conclusions:
- Parental body composition (BMI) is not associated with reduced infant energy expenditure at 12 weeks of age.
- The study found no evidence to support the hypothesis that parental overweight status leads to lower infant energy expenditure.
- Further research may be needed to explore other factors influencing infant energy expenditure and obesity risk.