Assessing Early Growth and Adiposity: Report from an Early Nutrition Academy Workshop

This report provides a summary of a workshop organised by the
EuropeanCommission-funded EarlyNutrition Project and the
EarlyNutrition Academy.Accurate and reliable methods to assess body
composition are needed inresearch on prenatal and early post-natal
influences of nutrition onlater health because common surrogate
measures of maternal and offspringadiposity (body fat content),
such as body mass index (BMI), haverelatively poor predictive power
for the risk of later disease. The keygoals of the workshop were to
discuss approaches to assess growth andbody composition from
pregnancy to adolescence, to summarise conclusionsand to prepare a
framework for research in the EarlyNutrition Project.The
participants concluded that there is a pressing need to
harmonisethe methodologies for assessing body composition,
recognising that eachhas advantages and limitations. Essential core
measurements acrossstudies assessing early growth and body
composition were identified,including weight, length, BMI, waist
and mid-upper arm circumference,subscapular and triceps skinfold
thicknesses, and bioelectricalimpedance analysis. In research
settings with access to moresophisticated technologies, additional
methods could include dual-energyX-ray absorptiometry, peripheral
quantitative computed tomography,ultrasound assessment of regional
body fat, magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), air displacement
plethysmography (ADP), and deuterium dilution.These provide richer
data to answer research questions in greater depthbut also increase
costs. Where overall whole-body composition is theprimary outcome
measure, ADP or tracer dilution should be used wheneverpossible.
Where regional distribution of body fat is of greaterinterest, an
imaging technique such as MRI is preferred.