title: Is term newborn body composition being achieved postnatally in preterm infants?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that preterm infants' growth duplicates fetal growth rates and that body composition replicates in utero body composition.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the total body fat mass between preterm infants assessed at term corrected age and full-term newborns, and to investigate the effects of gestational age, gender, weight increase, being breast fed on total adiposity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and ten preterm infants [mean (SD) gestational age: 29.9 (2.3) weeks; birth weight: 1118 (274) g], and 87 full term [mean (SD) 38.6 (1.21) weeks, 3203 (385) g], breastfed infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Growth and body composition by means of a pediatric air displacement system were assessed at term corrected age in preterm infants and on day 3 of life in full term infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Weight, length and head circumference were smaller in the preterm group as compared to the term group. Mean (SD) percentage of fat mass in preterm infants was significantly higher as compared to term infants [14.8 (4.4) vs 8.59 (3.71), P<0.0001]. Fat mass was negatively correlated with gestational age (P<0.001), and positively associated with weight increase (P< 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that body composition, in terms of fat mass, in preterm infants at term corrected age is different from that of full term newborns.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Fondazione IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, University of Milan, Italy. paola.roggero@mangiagalli.it
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roggero
authors.forename: Maria Lorella
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Giannì
authors.forename: Orsola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orsi
authors.forename: Pasqua
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piemontese
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morlacchi
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mosca
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D001823:Body Composition; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011446:Prospective Studies