Sex differences in body composition early in life |
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Authors: | David A. Fields Sowmya Krishnan Amy B. Wisniewski |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Pediatrics Section of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;2. Children''s Medical Research Institute''s Diabetes & Metabolic Research Program, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;1. Department of Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, Hospital J.P. Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina;2. Department of Neonatology, Hospital Posadas, Buenos Aires, Argentina;3. Department of Obstetrics, Hospital Posadas, Buenos Aires, Argentina;1. Regional Center for Pediatric Diabetes, Clinical Nutrition & Obesity, Department of Life & Reproduction Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy;2. Epidemiological Department, Veneto Region, Passaggio Gaudenzio 1, 35131 Padova, Italy;1. Department of Radiology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Choupana s/n, 15706 Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña), Spain;2. Dirección Xeral de Innovación e Xestión da Saúde Pública, Consellería de Sanidade, SERGAS, San Lazaro s/n, 15703 Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña), Spain;3. Department of Radiology, Clínica Girona, Institut de Diagnostic per la Imatge, Universitat de Girona, Lorenzana n 36, 17002 Girona, Spain;1. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), PO-Box 9600, 2300RC, Leiden, The Netherlands;2. Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, PO-Box 9600, 2300RC, LUMC, Leiden, The Netherlands;3. Department of Cardiology, LUMC, PO-Box 9600, 2300RC, Leiden, The Netherlands;4. Department of Human Genetics, LUMC, PO-Box 9600, 2300RC, Leiden, The Netherlands;5. Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, LUMC, PO-Box 9600, 2300RC, Leiden, The Netherlands;6. Einthoven Laboratory for Vascular and Regenerative Medicine, LUMC, PO-Box 9600, 2300RC, Leiden, The Netherlands;7. Department of Radiology, LUMC, PO-Box 9600, 2300RC, Leiden, The Netherlands;8. Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, LUMC, PO-Box 9600, 2300RC, Leiden, The Netherlands;9. Department of Internal Medicine, VU Medical Center, PO-Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | Background: Early development of the percentage of fat and muscle is rarely considered, but is important because excessive fat is related to the development of diabetes and other morbidities later in life. In pediatric medicine, there are few to no data comparing sex differences in body composition in the first months of life despite the fact that males are typically longer and weigh more than girls at birth.Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether observed sex differences in body composition at birth persist through the first 6 months of life.Methods: Participants were healthy, full-term, male and female newborns. Children throughout the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, metropolitan area were enrolled. The inclusion criteria were: mothers aged 18 to 45 years at the time of delivery; a term pregnancy lasting ≥37 weeks of gestation (determined by mother's physician); weight adequate for gestational age; and a hospital stay for the infant of <3 days following delivery. The exclusion criteria were: maternal tobacco use or alcohol consumption (>1 drink per week) during pregnancy; gestational diabetes; preeclampsia; and infants with presumed or known congenital birth defects. Baseline assessment at birth included length and weight. Newborns had their body composition (percent fat [%fat], total fat, and fat-free mass) determined at ~1 month of age using whole body plethysmography. Mothers were invited to have their children take part in a 5-month extension that conducted additional body composition measurements at 3 and 6 months of age.Results: Sixty-four girls (mean [SD] age at time of testing, 20.9 [7.9] days; birth weight, 3500 [388] g; birth length, 49.9 [2.4] cm; white race, 73.4%) and 53 boys (mean age at time of testing, 20.2 [7.3] days; birth weight, 3353 [413] g; birth length, 51.0 [2.4] cm; white race, 69.8%) were assessed and included in the study. At birth, girls were significantly shorter and weighed more than boys (both, P < 0.05). At ~1 month of age, body composition revealed that girls had significantly greater %fat (15.1% vs 12.7%; P < 0.05) and less fat-free mass (3182 [303] vs 3454 [361] g; P < 0.001) than did boys. At 3 months of age, girls continued to have significantly less fat-free mass (4379 [347] vs 4787 [310] g; P < 0.01) than did boys; however, by 6 months of age, no significant sex difference was observed in any body composition variable studied.Conclusion: In this small sample of healthy, full-term newborns, at ~1 month of age, statistically significant differences in %fat and fat-free mass existed between girls and boys; however, by 6 months of age, these differences no longer existed. |
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