Change in body water distribution index in infants who become stunted between 4 and 18 months of age

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate body composition changes using bioelectrical impedance analysis and skinfold thickness measurements in infants from tropical areas who become stunted between 4-18 months of age. Design and measurements: Follow-up study. Extracellular water to total body water ratio index (length 2 /resistance at low to high frequency), peripheral fat (tricipital and subscapular skinfold thickness), and length-for-age index were studied at 4 and 18 months of age. Settings: Low-income areas in four tropical regions (Congo, Senegal, Bolivia and New Caledonia). Subjects: Infants were included in the analysis provided they were neither stunted nor wasted at 4 months. Two groups of infants were compared, those that were stunted at 18 months (n ¼ 61) or not (n ¼ 170). Results: The extracellular water to total body water ratio index and the sum of skinfold thickness measurements were similar in the two groups at 4 months, and only the extracellular water to total body water ratio index was significantly different at 18 months. When no stunting appeared between 4 and 18 months, the change in the extracellular water to total body water ratio index was not linked with variations in length-for-age, and presented the expected pattern of variation in body water compartments. When stunting occurred, variation in length-for-age was related to significant changes in the extracellular water to total body water ratio index, the biggest increase in the proportion of extracellular water being found in the most stunted infants. Variations in the sum of the two skinfold thickness measurements presented the expected pattern for the 4-18 months growth and did not differ between the two groups. Conclusions: Multifrequency resistances suggested that stunting was associated with a lack of the expansion of the intracellular compartment that is expected during normal growth of cell mass, together with preserved fat mass.

Is Overweight in Stunted Preschool Children in Cameroon Related to Reductions in Fat Oxidation, Resting Energy Expenditure and Physical Activity?

“…Recent studies [27]–[28] advice against their use for children who have undergone recent changes in their body composition, which is the case for both overweight children and growth retarded children. Indeed, stunting has been associated with less expansion of intracellular body water compartment than expected during normal growth of cell mass while fat mass is preserved [29]. Moreover, in obese children, fat free mass was characterised by greater hydration and reduced density [30].…”

Validity of impedance-based equations for the prediction of total body water as measured by deuterium dilution in African women

“…The length 2 /R 5 is assumed to reflect the ECW volume, and the length 2 /R 100 is assumed to reflect the TBW volume. Their ratio was used as a simple index of the ECW/TBW ratio, as we had done in previous studies in African subjects (23,24).…”

Consumption of a multi-deficient diet causes dynamic changes in the intestinal morphofunctional barrier, body composition and impaired physical development in post-weaning mice

“…Differentiation of intracellular and extracellular fluids is important for nutritional assessment (31) . Chronic malnutrition is reported to compromise the growth of intracellular fluids and induce increases in extracellular fluids over time (32) . However, in this study, RBD caused atrophy of extracellular fluid from early to chronic, while intracellular fluid atrophied on days 7 and 14, with a return to baseline in a more chronic period.…”