Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1996 May;74(5):386–399. doi: 10.1136/adc.74.5.386

Standards for total body fat and fat-free mass in infants.

N C de Bruin 1, K A van Velthoven 1, M de Ridder 1, T Stijnen 1, R E Juttmann 1, H J Degenhart 1, H K Visser 1
PMCID: PMC1511534  PMID: 8669953

Abstract

Data on body composition in conjunction with reference centiles are helpful in identifying the severity of growth and nutritional disorders in infancy and for evaluating the adequacy of treatment given during this important period of rapid growth. Total body fat (TBF) and fat-free mass (FFM) were estimated from total body electrical conductivity (TBEC) measurements in 423 healthy term Caucasian infants, aged 14-379 days. Cross sectional age, weight, and length related centile standards are presented for TBF and FFM. Centiles were calculated using Altman's method, based on polynomial regression and modelling of the residual variation. The TBF percentage steeply increased during the first half year of life, and slowly declined beyond this age. Various simple TBEC derived anthropometric prediction equations for TBF and FFM are available to be used in conjunction with these standards. Regression equations for the P50 and the residual SD, depending on age, weight, or length, are provided for constructing centile charts and calculating standard deviation scores.

Full text

PDF
386

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Agras W. S., Kraemer H. C., Berkowitz R. I., Hammer L. D. Influence of early feeding style on adiposity at 6 years of age. J Pediatr. 1990 May;116(5):805–809. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(05)82677-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Altman D. G. Construction of age-related reference centiles using absolute residuals. Stat Med. 1993 May 30;12(10):917–924. doi: 10.1002/sim.4780121003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Barker D. J., Winter P. D., Osmond C., Margetts B., Simmonds S. J. Weight in infancy and death from ischaemic heart disease. Lancet. 1989 Sep 9;2(8663):577–580. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(89)90710-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cochran W. J., Fiorotto M. L., Sheng H. P., Klish W. J. Reliability of fat-free mass estimates derived from total-body electrical conductivity measurements as influenced by changes in extracellular fluid volume. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):29–32. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/49.1.29. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cross J. H., Holden C., MacDonald A., Pearmain G., Stevens M. C., Booth I. W. Clinical examination compared with anthropometry in evaluating nutritional status. Arch Dis Child. 1995 Jan;72(1):60–61. doi: 10.1136/adc.72.1.60. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dauncey M. J., Gandy G., Gairdner D. Assessment of total body fat in infancy from skinfold thickness measurements. Arch Dis Child. 1977 Mar;52(3):223–227. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.3.223. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Davies P. S., Lucas A. Quetelet's index as a measure of body fatness in young infants. Early Hum Dev. 1989 Nov;20(2):135–141. doi: 10.1016/0378-3782(89)90054-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Davies P. S., Lucas A. The prediction of total body fatness in early infancy. Early Hum Dev. 1990 Mar;21(3):193–198. doi: 10.1016/0378-3782(90)90118-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. De Bruin N. C., Luijendijk I. H., Visser H. K., Degenhart H. J. The effect of alterations in physical and chemical characteristics on TOBEC-derived body composition estimates: validation with non-human models. Phys Med Biol. 1994 Jul;39(7):1143–1156. doi: 10.1088/0031-9155/39/7/007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dietz W. H. Critical periods in childhood for the development of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 May;59(5):955–959. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/59.5.955. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Fiorotto M. L., Cochran W. J., Funk R. C., Sheng H. P., Klish W. J. Total body electrical conductivity measurements: effects of body composition and geometry. Am J Physiol. 1987 Apr;252(4 Pt 2):R794–R800. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.1987.252.4.R794. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fiorotto M. L., de Bruin N. C., Brans Y. W., Degenhart H. J., Visser H. K. Total body electrical conductivity measurements: an evaluation of current instrumentation for infants. Pediatr Res. 1995 Jan;37(1):94–100. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Fomon S. J. Body composition of the male reference infant during the first year of life. Pediatrics. 1967 Nov;40(5):863–870. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Fomon S. J., Haschke F., Ziegler E. E., Nelson S. E. Body composition of reference children from birth to age 10 years. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 May;35(5 Suppl):1169–1175. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/35.5.1169. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kabir N., Forsum E. Estimation of total body fat and subcutaneous adipose tissue in full-term infants less than 3 months old. Pediatr Res. 1993 Oct;34(4):448–454. doi: 10.1203/00006450-199310000-00013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lohman T. G. Skinfolds and body density and their relation to body fatness: a review. Hum Biol. 1981 May;53(2):181–225. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Oakley J. R., Parsons R. J., Whitelaw A. G. Standards for skinfold thickness in British newborn infants. Arch Dis Child. 1977 Apr;52(4):287–290. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.4.287. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Osmond C., Barker D. J., Winter P. D., Fall C. H., Simmonds S. J. Early growth and death from cardiovascular disease in women. BMJ. 1993 Dec 11;307(6918):1519–1524. doi: 10.1136/bmj.307.6918.1519. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rolland-Cachera M. F., Deheeger M., Bellisle F., Sempé M., Guilloud-Bataille M., Patois E. Adiposity rebound in children: a simple indicator for predicting obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1984 Jan;39(1):129–135. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/39.1.129. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sann L., Durand M., Picard J., Lasne Y., Bethenod M. Arm fat and muscle areas in infancy. Arch Dis Child. 1988 Mar;63(3):256–260. doi: 10.1136/adc.63.3.256. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Serdula M. K., Ivery D., Coates R. J., Freedman D. S., Williamson D. F., Byers T. Do obese children become obese adults? A review of the literature. Prev Med. 1993 Mar;22(2):167–177. doi: 10.1006/pmed.1993.1014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Susser M., Stein Z. Timing in prenatal nutrition: a reprise of the Dutch Famine Study. Nutr Rev. 1994 Mar;52(3):84–94. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.1994.tb01395.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Tanner J. M., Whitehouse R. H. Revised standards for triceps and subscapular skinfolds in British children. Arch Dis Child. 1975 Feb;50(2):142–145. doi: 10.1136/adc.50.2.142. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Trowbridge F. L., Graham G. G., Wong W. W., Mellits E. D., Rabold J. D., Lee L. S., Cabrera M. P., Klein P. D. Body water measurements in premature and older infants using H218O isotopic determinations. Pediatr Res. 1984 Jun;18(6):524–527. doi: 10.1203/00006450-198406000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. WIDDOWSON E. M., MCCANCE R. A. THE EFFECT OF FINITE PERIODS OF UNDERNUTRITION AT DIFFERENT AGES ON THE COMPOSITION AND SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF THE RAT. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1963 Oct 22;158:329–342. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1963.0051. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. de Bruin N. C., Westerterp K. R., Degenhart H. J., Visser H. K. Measurement of fat-free mass in infants. Pediatr Res. 1995 Sep;38(3):411–417. doi: 10.1203/00006450-199509000-00023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. de Bruin N. C., van Velthoven K. A., Stijnen T., Juttmann R. E., Degenhart H. J., Visser H. K. Body fat and fat-free mass in infants: new and classic anthropometric indexes and prediction equations compared with total-body electrical conductivity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Jun;61(6):1195–1205. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/61.6.1195. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. de Bruin N. C., van Velthoven K. A., Stijnen T., Juttmann R. E., Degenhart H. J., Visser H. K. Quantitative assessment of infant body fat by anthropometry and total-body electrical conductivity. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995 Feb;61(2):279–286. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/61.2.279. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES