Maternal and Fetal Determinants of Neonatal Body Composition

Abstract

Background: Body composition in early life influences the development of obesity during childhood and beyond. It is, therefore, important to adequately determine neonatal body composition. Fetal growth and maternal factors might influence neonatal fat mass percentage (FM%), independent of birth weight. Methods: In 194 healthy neonates, we investigated neonatal body composition, measured by air-displacement plethysmography (PEAPOD), and its associations with estimated fetal weight (EFW), neonatal anthropometric data, maternal preconceptional body mass index (BMI) and maternal weight gain during pregnancy. Results: There was a large variation in neonatal FM%, even in case of a similar birth weight, corrected for gender and gestational age. Neonatal FM% was associated with EFW at 30 and 36 weeks of gestation and with catch-up in weight between 30 and 36 weeks of gestation, but not with EFW at 20 weeks (p < 0.01, p < 0.01 and p = 0.64, respectively). Neonatal FM% was also associated with preconceptional BMI of the mother (p < 0.01). There was no correlation with maternal weight gain. Conclusion: Our study shows that term neonates have a large variation in FM%. Neonatal FM% is associated with EFW at 30 and 36 weeks, catch-up in weight between 30 and 36 weeks of gestation and preconceptional BMI of the mother.

Maternal Metabolomic Profile and Fetal Programming of Offspring Adiposity: Identification of Potentially Protective Lipid Metabolites

“…However, we found no associations between prepregnancy BMI and %BF in our confounder analysis. Although previous studies showed a positive association between these factors, a systematic review of diabetic mothers found no evidence of an association between prepregnancy BMI and infant adiposity . A potential reason is that extreme obesity was not included in the present study.…”

Correlation between pre‐pregnancy body mass index and maternal visceral adiposity with fetal biometry during the second trimester

“…19 This percentage was associated with EFW at 30-36 weeks of pregnancy (but not at week 20), as well as with the presence of compensatory growth during this timeframe and the maternal prepregnancy BMI. 19 Maternal obesity is usually defined as a high pre-pregnancy BMI, and is associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. 20 However, BMI does not adequately differentiate the contributions of the muscles and the visceral adipose tissue to body weight.…”

“…These findings suggested that reduced fetal growth during the final phase of pregnancy might determine arcs of growth and metabolism that subsequently influence adiposity and diabetes risk in later life . However, measurement of body composition by plethysmography among 194 healthy newborns found that term neonates exhibited wide variation in whole‐body percentage of adipose tissue . This percentage was associated with EFW at 30–36 weeks of pregnancy (but not at week 20), as well as with the presence of compensatory growth during this timeframe and the maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI …”

“…However, measurement of body composition by plethysmography among 194 healthy newborns found that term neonates exhibited wide variation in whole‐body percentage of adipose tissue . This percentage was associated with EFW at 30–36 weeks of pregnancy (but not at week 20), as well as with the presence of compensatory growth during this timeframe and the maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI …”

Foetal fractional thigh volume: an early 3D ultrasound marker of neonatal adiposity

“…Another strength is that both prenatal and postnatal measurements were performed around the same postconceptional age, allowing for better cross‐sectional comparison. Of interest is the relatively high %BF in our population compared with data from previous studies . This is likely explained by timing of BC measurement between 42 and 43 weeks of gestation that includes the period of physiological increase in body fat in the first weeks after term age .…”