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PubMed2005

Lack of correlation between total lymphocyte count and nutritional status in the elderly.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Malnutrition is a widespread but largely unrecognized problem in aged people. Although absolute total lymphocyte count (TLC) has been proposed as a useful indicator of nutritional status, there is little evidence that low TLC levels reflect malnutrition in the elderly. To examine whether TLC is a suitable marker of malnutrition in the elderly. METHODS: A total of 161 elderly subjects (44 males and 117 females, mean age+/-SD: 77.9+/-7.4; range: 65-95 years) were enrolled from geriatric clinical settings. The participants were categorized according to severely low, low, or normal TLC. Anthropometry measurements, serum albumin, total cholesterol levels, and total score on the mini-nutritional assessment (MNA) were determined. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among the three TLC groups with regard to anthropometry measurements, serum albumin, total cholesterol levels, or MNA score. There was a significant negative correlation of TLC with age, but not with other nutritional markers. The clinical nutritional screening tool, MNA score, was well correlated with all of the nutritional parameters used in the present study except for TLC. CONCLUSION: TLC is not a suitable marker of malnutrition in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Macro- and micronutrient losses and nutritional status resulting from 44 days of total fasting in a non-obese man.

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to establish and understand how the fractional losses of fat, fat-free tissues, and selected nutrients compare with that of body mass during a 44-d voluntary starvation (water only) and measurements of nutrient status. METHODS: We used anthropometry, sequential measurements of urinary substances during the fast, and blood analytes at the end of the fast. RESULTS: At the start of the fast, body weight was 96.0 kg (20% fat) and body mass index was 28.36 kg/m(2). The changes in body mass and arm anthropometry and in the pattern of urinary excretion of creatinine, ammonia, sodium, and ketone bodies during the study were consistent with starvation. At the end of the fast, body mass had decreased by 25.5%, of which a quarter to a third was due to loss of fat and the remainder to fat-free mass, predominantly muscle. There was an estimated loss of 20% of total body protein, 20-25% of fat-free mass, and a greater fractional loss of fat. Total energy expenditure was estimated to be 1638-2155 kcal/d of which 13.0-17.1% was from protein oxidation. Differential losses of minerals in urine ranged from 1.2% of estimated initial body content for manganese to 17.3% for selenium and 40.5% for zinc. At the end of the study, plasma concentrations of zinc and vitamin B12 were increased, those of copper, selenium, and manganese were normal, and there was biochemical evidence of deficiency in thiamine, riboflavin, and vitamin K (prothrombin time). CONCLUSION: The data confirm and extend the available information on prolonged fasting in lean individuals and have relevance to the understanding of the physiologic responses to starvation and the associated homeostatic mechanisms.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1986

Japanese-American pulmonary reference values: influence of environment on anthropology and physiology.

Anthropometric measurements and pulmonary function (volumes, flows, and flow-volume curves) were evaluated in a community study of 59 male and 59 female, nonsmoking, healthy Japanese-American volunteers uniformly distributed in decades from 20 to 80 years. A control group of 36 Caucasians was similarly constituted. One technologist performed all tests. Techniques and equipment matched American Thoracic Society recommendations. A cohort effect was demonstrated for anthropometric measurements in the Japanese-Americans. They were smaller and lighter than the Caucasians but taller and heavier than the Japanese of Japan. The differences from whites diminished with youth. Although the group mean volumes and flows differed little from white reference series of Crapo et al. (1981, 1982), there was a difference in the older subjects. Flow-volume curves were increased in all Japanese-Americans. Prediction equations for pulmonary function have been prepared using standing height, age, and sex. More precise formulae would need to include skinfolds, lean body weight, and span. Our Caucasians did not differ anthropometrically or in their pulmonary function from those of the mainland. In conclusion, Japanese-American anthropometry and pulmonary function in Hawaii shows a gradation from that of Japanese to Caucasians, the extent depending on the age. This is secondary to an environmental influence on anthropometry and physiology. As a consequence race-specific reference values for volumes, flows, and flow-volume curves are necessary in evaluating pulmonary function of individual Japanese-Americans.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Rectifying postures reconstructed from joint angles to meet constraints.

Postures are often described and modeled using angles between body segments rather than joint coordinates. Models can be used to predict these angles as a function of anthropometry and postural requirements. Postural representation, however, requires the joint coordinates. The use of conventional forward kinematics to derive joint coordinates from predicted angles may violate task constraints, such as the placement of a hand on a target or a foot on a pedal. Errors arise because the anthropometry or other motion characteristics of a subject, for which the prediction is to be made, may differ from the data from which the prediction model was derived. We describe how to rectify model-predicted postures to exactly satisfy such task constraints. We require that the model used for predicting the angles also produce estimates of the variation in these predictions. We show how to alter the initial angle predictions, with the amount of perturbation at each angle dependent on the accuracy of its estimation, so as to exactly satisfy the joint coordinate constraints. Finally, we show in an empirical example that this correction usually produces better overall predictions of posture than those obtained initially.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1997

Effects of aging on dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in relation to fasting insulin levels and body composition assessed by bioimpedance analysis.

Insulin can inhibit dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) biosynthesis in humans, as suggested by several studies performed in induced or spontaneous hyperinsulinemia. The increased insulin resistance documented throughout aging, with its accompanying hyperinsulinemia, may contribute to the age-related decline in DHEA synthesis. The aim of this study was to assess if the aging-related differences in DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) serum levels can be associated with differences in fasting insulin levels, as well as body composition. Two hundred fifty-two healthy subjects of both sexes aged 19 to 90 years with a body mass index (BMI) less than 30 (mean +/- SD, 23.5 +/- 2.4) were studied DHEA-S and insulin serum levels were determined by a radioimmunologic procedure; body composition was assessed by anthropometry (fat mass percentage [FM%] estimated from four skinfold thicknesses by Durnin and Womersley and Siri equations [FM%-SKF]) and by bioimpedance analysis (BIA) (FM% estimated by equations developed by Segal et al and Deurenberg et al for subjects < and > 62 years, respectively [FM%-BIA]). DHEA-S levels were significantly and inversely related to age in both sexes. No significant aging-related differences were found in fasting insulin levels, although a trend toward an increase was apparent in the women on simple regression analysis. No significant associations were found between DHEA-S and insulin levels. As for body composition, a positive relationship to age was apparent for FM%-SKF, FM%-BIA, and waist to hip ratio (WHR), whereas BMI and phase angle ([PA] a bioelectric parameter considered an index of the ratio between intracellular and extracellular water) were inversely related to age. Fasting insulin levels were positively related to FM% as estimated by both BIA and anthropometry, independently of age in both sexes; in addition, a positive correlation with WHR and with the subscapular to triceps skinfold thickness ratio (SS/TS) was found in men and women, respectively. No significant correlation was apparent between DHEA-S and body composition indices in men, whereas in women a slight negative correlation between DHEA-S and WHR was documented, and was still significant after adjustment for age and fasting insulin. Stepwise multiple regression analysis confirmed that DHEA-S levels are not related to fasting insulin, but are independently related to age and, in women only, to WHR. Our study suggests that the DHEA-S decline due to aging is independent of fasting insulin, at least in healthy, non-obese people. In addition, it is not related to the aging-dependent changes in body composition in terms of FM% and fat-free mass (FFM) percentage (FFM%). Only in women could changes in fat distribution be slightly associated with DHEA-S decline, although such a relation cannot be accounted for by changes in insulin levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Female and male trunk geometry: size and prediction of the spine loading trunk muscles derived from MRI.

OBJECTIVE: Develop a gender specific database of trunk muscle cross-sectional areas across multiple levels of the thoracic and lumbar spine and develop prediction equations for the physiological cross-sectional area as a function of gender and anthropometry. DESIGN: This study quantified trunk muscle cross-sectional areas of male and female spine loading muscles. BACKGROUND: There is a lack of comprehensive data regarding the female spine loading muscle size. Although biomechanical models often assume females are the same as males, little is known regarding gender differences in terms of trunk muscle areas and no data exist regarding the prediction of trunk muscle physiological cross-sectional areas from commonly used external anthropometric measures. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging scans through the vertebral bodies from T(8) through S(1) were performed on 20 females and 10 males. Muscle fiber angle corrected cross-sectional areas were recorded at each vertebral level. Linear regression techniques taking into account anthropometric measures were utilized to develop prediction equations for the physiological cross-sectional area for each muscle of interest, as well as tests for differences in cross-sectional areas due to gender and side of the body. RESULTS: Significant gender differences were observed for the prediction of the erector spinae, internal and external obliques, psoas major and quadratus lumborum physiological cross-sectional areas. Anthropometric measures about the xyphoid process and combinations of height and weight resulted in better predictions of cross-sectional areas than when using traditional anthropometry. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the trunk muscle geometry of females and males are different, and that these differences should be considered in the development of biomechanical models of the torso. Relevance. The prediction of physiological cross-sectional areas from external anthropometric measures provide gender specific equations to assist in estimation of forces of muscles which load the spine for biomechanical purposes.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Upper arm measurements of healthy neonates comparing ultrasonography and anthropometric methods.

OBJECTIVE: To compare measurements of the upper arm cross-sectional areas (total arm area, arm muscle area, and arm fat area of healthy neonates) as calculated using anthropometry with the values obtained by ultrasonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed on 60 consecutively born healthy neonates: gestational age (mean+/-SD) 39.6+/-1.2 weeks, birth weight 3287.1+/-307.7 g, 27 males (45%) and 33 females (55%). Mid-arm circumference and tricipital skinfold thickness measurements were taken on the left upper mid-arm according to the conventional anthropometric method to calculate total arm area, arm muscle area and arm fat area. The ultrasound evaluation was performed at the same arm location using a Toshiba sonolayer SSA-250A, which allows the calculation of the total arm area, arm muscle area and arm fat area by the number of pixels enclosed in the plotted areas. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: whenever appropriate, parametric and non-parametric tests were used in order to compare measurements of paired samples and of groups of samples. RESULTS: No significant differences between males and females were found in any evaluated measurements, estimated either by anthropometry or by ultrasound. Also the median of total arm area did not differ significantly with either method (P = 0.337). Although there is evidence of concordance of the total arm area measurements (r = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.55-0.77) the two methods of measurement differed for arm muscle area and arm fat area. The estimated median of measurements by ultrasound for arm muscle area were significantly lower than those estimated by the anthropometric method, which differed by as much as 111% (P < 0.001). The estimated median ultrasound measurement of the arm fat was higher than the anthropometric arm fat area by as much as 31% (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared with ultrasound measurements using skinfold measurements and mid-arm circumference without further correction may lead to overestimation of the cross-sectional area of muscle and underestimation of the cross-sectional fat area. The correlation between the two methods could be interpreted as an indication for further search of correction factors in the equations.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1999

Comparison of methods for assessing nutritional status in HIV-infected adults.

Malnutrition is a frequent complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and is associated with a poor prognosis. To compare different measures of nutritional status in HIV-infected patients, we prospectively studied 88 outpatients seen at a Paris AIDS outpatient clinic for routine follow-up examinations. Nutritional status was assessed according to body weight loss (BWL, 4 classes), anthropometry, bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA), and subjective global assessment of nutritional status (SGA). Malnutrition was diagnosed in 22.4% of subjects using SGA, and 37.1% by BWL. SGA rapidly detected a worsening of nutritional status, while BWL detected malnutrition at an earlier stage. A good correlation was found between SGA class and body composition assessed by anthropometry and BIA. Deteriorating nutritional status diagnosed by SGA correlated with the CDC HIV disease class. SGA, a simple nutritional assessment, can serve as a basis for prescribing artificial nutrition, while BWL detects malnutrition at an earlier stage.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2001

Total and regional fat and serum cardiovascular disease risk factors in lean and obese children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the association of total and central adiposity with serum cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in lean and obese Portuguese children and adolescents. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A total of 87 girls (13.2 +/- 1.6 years old, 29.9 +/- 6.4% body fat [mean +/- SD]) and 72 boys (13.2 +/- 1.6 years old, 20.8 +/- 9.9% body fat) volunteered for the study. Whole-body composition and fat distribution, from DXA and anthropometry, and serum lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins were evaluated. RESULTS: The sum of three trunk skinfolds (STS) was highly correlated with total trunk fat mass measured by DXA (p < 0.001). Body mass index, DXA-measured percentage of body fat, trunk fat mass, STS, and the waist-to-height ratio were generally found to be associated with triacylglycerol, the ratio of total cholesterol (TC) to high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and apolipoprotein B levels, (significant age-adjusted r between 0.16 and 0.27, p < 0.05). Body mass index, STS, and the waist circumference were also associated with HDL-C (p < 0.05), whereas no body composition variable significantly correlated with TC or apolipoproteins A-I. The STS was significantly correlated with HDL-C (p < 0.01), TC/HDL-C (p < 0.05), and apolipoproteins A-I (p < 0.05) independently of whole-body fatness. Obese subjects (n = 73) had higher TC, LDL-C, TC/HDL-C, and apolipoprotein B than did non-obese subjects (n = 86), and significant associations between central adiposity and some lipid variables (triacylglycerol and HDL-C) were found in obese children and adolescents that were not present in leaner individuals. DISCUSSION: DXA- and anthropometry-based whole-body and central fat measures are associated with serum CVD risk factors in Portuguese boys and girls. Obese children and adolescents have a poorer lipid profile than do their leaner counterparts. Trunk skinfolds, which are easy to obtain even in large samples, predict CVD risk factors to the same extent as DXA-based variables, in some cases, independently of total fatness.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed1999

Physical activity levels in a sample of Oxford school children aged 10-13 years.

OBJECTIVE: To determine physical activity levels (PAL) in children aged between 10 and 13 y. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of physical activity levels on school days, with and without physical education (PE) lessons and at weekend. Data were collected using self-reported activity diaries. SETTING: The children were recruited from a middle school in Oxford. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) and anthropometry were measured in the school. SUBJECTS: Thirty-eight children (12 boys and 26 girls), aged 10-13 y, returned completed activity diaries. PAL values were calculated by applying physical activity ratios (PAR) to the time spent on each activity. BMR and anthropometry were measured within 20 d of activity diary completion. RESULTS: The mean +/-s.d. (range) PAL values for all children were 1.52+/-0.08 (1.34-1.71), 1. 50+/-0.05 (1.44-1.57) for boys and 1.53+/-0.10 (1.34-1.71) for girls. The lowest PAL value (1.48+/-0.13, mean +/-s.d.) was observed in girls on school days without PE lessons. The lowest PAL value in boys (1.46+/-0.13, mean +/-s.d.) was observed at the weekend. PE lessons made a significant difference to the PAL values for boys (1. 58+/-0.09) and girls (1.60+/-0.12). A wide range of PAL values (1. 20-1.87) was recorded in these children. The total energy expenditure for the boys was slightly lower than the estimated average requirements (EAR) predicted by the Department of Health (8. 71+/-0.96 MJ compared with 8.86 MJ/d) for this age group. The girls had a higher average energy expenditure than the predicted EAR (8. 47+/-1.00 MJ/d compared with 7.885). CONCLUSIONS: The children in this study may be classified as light to moderately active with PAL values ranging from 1.20 to 1.87. The promotion of physical activity in childhood will have beneficial effects for the child and their future wellbeing. Programmes aimed at preventing obesity in children should encourage physical activity as well as promoting appropriate dietary changes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Community-level determinants of child growth in an Indonesian tea plantation.

OBJECTIVES: The paper presents the results of an ecological-economic approach to identifying community-level factors that influence the physical growth of young children. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was used to obtain both the anthropometry and the ecological-economic data. SETTING: The sites were 24 communities located in a tea plantation near Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. SUBJECTS: 415 children between the ages of 6 and 18 months. METHODS: Epidemiological and ethnographic methods were used to measure community infrastructure and services related to child growth. Anthropometry was used to measure child growth. Econometric methods, including probit and ordinary least squares regression, were used to analyze the effect of community-level factors on child growth. RESULTS: Community vaccination programs, child care services, environmental sanitation and latrines were associated with better child growth. We concluded that community-level goods and services substantially contributed to health in early childhood.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2002

Serum leptin in disabled and non-disabled children in an Indian slum population.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the concentration of serum leptin in a population of malnourished children and to compare the leptin levels of disabled and non-disabled children in this population. DESIGN: Case-control study. SUBJECTS: Eighty-one children, comprising 41 children with mixed disabilities and 40 non-disabled controls, were selected from 425 children involved in a case-control study assessing the nutritional status of children with disabilities in an Indian slum population. METHODS: Leptin was measured in the serum samples and was compared with anthropometry (weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ), height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ), weight-for-height Z-scores (WHZ), body mass index (BMI), mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC), sub-scapular skinfold thickness and triceps skinfold thickness) and serum acute phase proteins. RESULTS: The children were very malnourished with WAZ=-2.07 (s.d. 1.15), HAZ=-2.15 (s.d. 1.85) and WHZ=-1.07 (s.d. 0.83). Leptin was extremely low in both the disabled (1.44 ng/ml; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.23-1.69) and the non-disabled (1.19 ng/ml; 95% CI 1.04-1.35) children. There were no differences between the disabled and non-disabled groups as a whole but 15 children with neurological disabilities had significantly higher (P<0.05) serum leptin (1.65 ng/ml; 95% CI 1.29-2.06) than the non-disabled children. Girls (1.55 ng/ml; 95% CI 1.29-1.87) had significantly higher concentrations of leptin than boys (1.11 ng/ml; 95% CI 1.02-1.22; P=0.002). Leptin did not correlate with any biochemical or anthropometric measures. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, where malnutrition was common, serum leptin levels were very low and did not correlate with anthropometry. SPONSORSHIP: UK Department for International Development; Virgin Airways through the Great Ormond Street Hospital Trustees.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed2003

Lean body mass in preschool aged urban children in India: gender difference.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate lean body mass (LBM) in preschool aged boys and girls in India and explore gender difference. DESIGN: Crossectional. SETTING: Immunization clinic of a charitable Government General Hospital in Kolkata, India. SUBJECTS: Two-hundred and forty-five children (147 boys and 98 girls) aged 1-5 y from among the urban poor were admitted in the study between July 1999 and December 2000. Children with acute or chronic illness or congenital malformation were excluded. METHOD: Length/height to the nearest 0.1 cm, weight to the nearest 10 g and total body resistance using multifrequency bioelectrical (Xitron 4000B) impedance analyzer (BIA) at 50 kHz were measured. Their nutritional status was compared with National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) median data and lean body mass (LBM) was calculated using anthropometry and BIA equations. The groups were compared using analysis of variance and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Girls were more stunted (P<0.001) and underweight (P<0.047), while the degree of wasting was similar. Mean LBM percentage was higher in boys compared with girls by anthropometry (P<0.001) and BIA (P<0.005), which persisted after adjusting for age. With increasing age, LBM percentage declined in girls (P<0.02) in contrast to reference girls, in whom it increased. In boys LBM percentage increased with age as is in reference boys. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the girls being more stunted and underweight, LBM% decreased in girls with increasing age but steadily increased in boys, suggesting hidden deprivation of female children.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

Higher maternal dietary protein intake in late pregnancy is associated with a lower infant ponderal index at birth.

AIM: A high ponderal index at birth has been associated with later obesity and it has been suggested that intervention to prevent obesity and its sequela should consider the antenatal period. In this context, we investigated the association between maternal nutrition and birth anthropometry. DESIGN: We analyzed data on 1040 mother-infant pairs collected during the Tasmanian Infant Health Survey (TIHS), Tasmania, 1988-1989. Maternal dietary intake during pregnancy was measured by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) applied soon after birth. Outcomes of interest were birth weight, birth length, head circumference, ponderal index, head circumference -to-ponderal index ratio, placenta-to-birth weight ratio and head circumference-to-birth length index. RESULTS: In multiple regression model, an increase of 10 g of absolute protein intake/day was associated with a reduction in birth weight of 17.8 g (95% CI: -32.7, -3.0; P=0.02). Protein intake was also associated negatively with ponderal index (beta=-0.01; 95% CI: -0.02, -0.00; P=0.01). A 1 % increase in carbohydrate intake resulted in a 1% decline in placental weight relative to birth weight. Higher protein intake in the third trimester was associated with a reduced ponderal index among large birth weight infants but not low birth weight infants. CONCLUSIONS: This raises the possibility that any effect of high protein in altering infant anthropometry at birth may involve changes in body composition and future work to examine how a high-protein diet influences body composition at birth is warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Prediction of intra-abdominal and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue in healthy pre-pubertal children.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) with body composition and anthropometry in children. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data analysis. SUBJECTS: 113 healty Caucasian and African-American, pre-pubertal children aged 4-10 y. MEASUREMENTS: IAAT and SAAT by single slice computed tomography at the level of the umbilicus; total fat and trunk fat by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); anthropometric evaluation by skinfolds and circumferences. RESULTS: IAAT was most strongly correlated with abdominal skinfold (r = 0.88) and trunk fat by DEXA (r = 0.87), and SAAT with trunk fat by DEXA (r = 0.96), total fat by DEXA (r = 0.93) and waist circumference (r = 0.93). In stepwise regression, IAAT was best predicted by trunk fat from DEXA, total fat from DEXA, and abdominal skinfold (R2 = 0.85); SAAT was best predicted by trunk fat from DEXA, body weight, waist circumference and abdominal skinfold (R2 = 0.96). In the absence of DEXA data, IAAT was best predicted by abdominal skinfold, ethnicity and subscapular skinfold (R2 = 0.82) and SAAT was best predicted by waist circumference subscapular skinfold, height and abdominal skinfold (R2=0.92). The prediction equations with and without DEXA were successfully cross-validated in an independent sample of 12 additional measures of IAAT and SAAT. CONCLUSION: These data provide useful information that can help in the interpretation of anthropometric data with regard to body fat distribution. IAAT and SAAT can be accurately estimated in Caucasian and African-American prepubertal children from anthropometry with and without the availability of DEXA data.

Abdomen↗
PubMed2002

Segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis in children aged 8-12 y: 2. The assessment of regional body composition and muscle mass.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential of segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for assessing regional composition and muscle mass in children. DESIGN: Strengths of relationships were determined between (a) BIA indices of trunk, limbs or limb segments and (b) segment fat or fat-free mass (FFM) assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); the extent of agreement was established between two independent models, based on DXA and BIA, of limb muscle and adipose tissue (AT) mass. SUBJECTS: Eighteen boys and 19 girls aged 8-12 y. MEASUREMENTS: BIA and anthropometry of trunk, whole limbs, limb segments and defined sections were used to calculate segmental impedance indices and specific resistivities; segment fat and FFM were obtained using DXA; muscle and AT masses of limbs, segments and sections were estimated using DXA and BIA models, and by anthropometry. RESULTS: Segmental BIA indices were significantly related to composition of the segments assessed using DXA; although substantial bias was observed, there was fairly good agreement (low 95% limits of agreement) between the BIA and DXA models of muscle mass and estimates from each were similarly categorised in tertiles, as were estimates of AT. CONCLUSION: Segmental BIA appears to have potential for assessing in children the composition of body segments, as obtained using DXA, and the masses of muscle and AT in whole limbs, limb segments and defined sections.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed2002

Syndrome X in 8-y-old Australian children: stronger associations with current body fatness than with infant size or growth.

OBJECTIVE: Syndrome X (clustering of insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and hypertension) in adults with central obesity has been suggested to be a consequence of poor foetal development. We investigated clustering of syndrome X factors in a sample of 8-y-old Australian children, and whether the clusters were associated with size at birth and childhood obesity. DESIGN: Longitudinal, 1997 follow-up of children enrolled as singleton-born neonates in 1989. SUBJECTS: A total of 298 healthy Australian children (208 boys, 90 girls, age range 7.4-8.9 y). MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometry at birth and at 4 weeks. In 1997, at 8 y of age: fasting insulin and glucose, total and HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. RESULTS: Adverse levels of insulin and glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides co-existed more often than expected by chance (P<0.01). Three factors were identified in factor analysis: one loading on systolic and diastolic blood pressure ('blood pressure'); a second loading on insulin and glucose ('insulin resistance'); and a third loading negatively on HDL-cholesterol and positively on triglycerides ('dyslipidaemia'). The blood pressure factor was correlated with fatness at age 8 y (eg fat mass estimated from skin folds, r=0.11) and, after adjustment for current size, with birth weight (r=-0.15). Fat mass was also correlated with both 'insulin resistance' (r=0.24) and 'dyslipidaemia' (r=0.19). The increase in 'insulin resistance' (P=0.03) and 'dyslipidaemia' (P<0.01) per category of fat mass was greatest for subjects with higher-than-median subscapular-to-triceps ratio of skin folds. Neither 'insulin resistance' nor 'dyslipidaemia' was associated with anthropometry at birth. CONCLUSIONS: The Syndrome X risk variables clustered among children who had a tendency to deposit fat on the trunk. There was no evidence in this sample that infant size predicts development of the insulin resistance or dyslipidaemic components of the syndrome by age 8.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2001

Nutritional status after short-term dietary supplementation in hospitalized malnourished geriatric patients.

AIM: To examine the evolution of different parameters of the nutritional status after short-term oral protein-energy supplementation in moderately malnourished geriatric patients. METHODS: Seventeen hospitalized malnourished elderly patients and 12 healthy adults received dietary supplements for 10 days. A group of six malnourished elderly subjects served as controls. Spontaneous oral intakes, biological and biophysical markers of the nutritional status were measured. Fat-free mass (FFM) was assessed using Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bio-impedance analysis (BIA) and anthropometry. RESULTS: In elderly subjects, the supplementation significantly increased both dietary intake (energy +32%, protein +65%) and FFM (+1.3 kg, P<0.001) as assessed using DXA. BIA and anthropometric data correlated with DXA measurements in the elderly (BIA: r=0.68--0.80, anthropometry: r=0.80--0.89), but failed to reflect accurately the changes measured in FFM. Supplementation had no notable effect on biological markers in any of the groups. IGF-I and hand-grip strength were not significantly influenced by the supplementation despite trends towards an improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring short-term changes in nutritional status in malnourished elderly individuals is a problem in routine clinical management. Our data put in the limelight the changes in IGF-I values related to dietary supplementation, and, chiefly, suggest a prime role for the assessment of dietary intake and FFM, as assessed by DXA, as indicators of short-term efficacy of refeeding. Nevertheless larger studies are necessary to confirm the clinical and prognostic significance of the changes.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗