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16-05-2024 | RESEARCH

Association between preterm infant body composition in the first 3 months of life and preschool age: a cohort study

Authors: Sylvia Reis Gonçalves Nehab, Letícia Duarte Villela, Andrea Dunshee Abranches, Saint Clair S. Gomes Junior, Fernanda Valente Mendes Soares, Maria Elisabeth Lopes Moreira

Published in: European Journal of Pediatrics | Issue 8/2024

Abstract

Compared with full-term infants, preterm infants have fat-free mass deficit in the first months of life, which increases the risk of metabolic diseases in the future. In this cohort of children born under 32-week gestational age or less than 1500 g, we aimed to evaluate the associations of body composition at term equivalent age and in the first 3 months of life with fat-free mass and fat mass percentage at 4 to 7 years of life. Body composition assessments by air displacement plethysmography and anthropometry were performed at term, at 3 months of corrected age, and at 4 to 7 years of age. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to observe the associations between body composition at these ages. At term, fat mass percentage showed a negative association and fat-free mass a positive association with fat-free mass at 4 to 7 years. The fat-free mass at 3 months and the gain in fat-free mass between term and 3 months showed positive associations with fat-free mass at 4 to 7 years.

Conclusion: Body composition at preschool age is associated with fat-free mass in the first 3 months of life, a sensitive period for the risk of metabolic diseases.

What is Known: • Preterm infants have a deficit in fat-free mass and high adiposity at term equivalent age compared to full-term infants. • Fat-free mass reflects metabolic capacity throughout life and therefore is considered a protective factor against the risk of metabolic syndrome.
What is New: •Fat-free mass gain in the first 3 months of corrected age is associated with fat-free mass at preschool and school ages. •The first 3 months of life is a sensitive period to the risk of metabolic diseases.

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Title: Association between preterm infant body composition in the first 3 months of life and preschool age: a cohort study
Authors: Sylvia Reis Gonçalves Nehab
Letícia Duarte Villela
Andrea Dunshee Abranches
Saint Clair S. Gomes Junior
Fernanda Valente Mendes Soares
Maria Elisabeth Lopes Moreira
Publication date: 16-05-2024
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: European Journal of Pediatrics / Issue 8/2024
Print ISSN: 0340-6199
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1076
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-024-05603-6

ERS Congress 2024

Springer Medicine

Association between preterm infant body composition in the first 3 months of life and preschool age: a cohort study

Abstract

ERS Congress 2024

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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