Martins P A, Hoffman D J, Fernandes M T B, Nascimento C R, Roberts S B, Sesso R, Sawaya A L
Department of Physiology, Federal University of São Paulo, CEP 04023-060, Brazil.
Br J Nutr. 2004 Nov;92(5):819-25. doi: 10.1079/bjn20041274.
The aim of the present study was to analyse the changes in body composition of stunted children during a follow-up period and to test the hypothesis of a tendency to accumulate body fat as a consequence of undernutrition early in life. We selected fifty boys and girls aged 11 to 15, who were residents of slums in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Twenty were stunted (S) and thirty had normal stature (NS). The children's nutritional status and body composition were assessed through anthropometry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, at the beginning of the present study and after 3 years, and changes in lean mass (LM and LM%) and fat mass (FM and FM%) were calculated. Stunted boys accumulated more body fat (FM%: S=1.62%, NS=-3.40%; P=0.003) and gained less lean mass (LM%: S=-1.46, NS=3.21%; P=0.004). Stunted girls gained less lean mass (S=7.87 kg, NS=11.96 kg; P=0.032) and had significantly higher values of FM% at follow-up when compared with their baseline values (P=0.008), whereas non-stunted girls had a non-significant difference in FM% over time (P=0.386). These findings are important to understand the factors involved in the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among poor populations, which appear to be associated with hunger during infancy and/or childhood.
本研究的目的是分析发育迟缓儿童在随访期间身体成分的变化，并检验因生命早期营养不良而倾向于积累体脂这一假设。我们选择了50名年龄在11至15岁的男孩和女孩，他们是巴西圣保罗贫民窟的居民。其中20名发育迟缓（S组），30名身材正常（NS组）。在本研究开始时和3年后，通过人体测量和双能X线吸收法评估儿童的营养状况和身体成分，并计算瘦体重（LM和LM%）和脂肪量（FM和FM%）的变化。发育迟缓的男孩积累了更多的体脂（FM%：S组=1.62%，NS组=-3.40%；P=0.003），且瘦体重增加较少（LM%：S组=-1.46，NS组=3.21%；P=0.004）。发育迟缓的女孩瘦体重增加较少（S组=7.87 kg，NS组=11.96 kg；P=0.032），与基线值相比，随访时FM%显著更高（P=0.008），而非发育迟缓的女孩FM%随时间变化无显著差异（P=0.386）。这些发现对于理解贫困人口中超重和肥胖患病率增加所涉及的因素很重要，这些因素似乎与婴儿期和/或儿童期的饥饿有关。
