Abstract
Prevalence rates of pediatric obesity continue to rise worldwide. Adipose tissue (AT) development and expansion initiate in the fetus and extend throughout the lifespan. This paper presents an overview of the AT developmental trajectories from the intrauterine period to adolescence; factors determining adiposity expansion are also discussed. The greatest fetal increases in AT were observed in the third pregnancy trimester, with growing evidence suggesting that maternal health and nutrition, toxin exposure, and genetic defects impact AT development. From birth up to six months, healthy term newborns experience steep increases in AT; but a subsequent reduction in AT is observed during infancy. Important determinants of AT in infancy identified in this review included feeding practices and factors shaping the gut microbiome. Low AT accrual rates are maintained up to puberty onset, at which time, the pattern of adiposity expansion becomes sex dependent. As girls experience rapid increases and boys experience decreases in AT, sexual dimorphism in hormone secretion can be considered the main contributor for changes. Eating patterns/behaviors and interactions between dietary components, gut microbiome, and immune cells also influence AT expansion. Despite the plasticity of this tissue, substantial evidence supports that adiposity at birth and infancy highly influences its levels across subsequent life stages. Thus, a unique window of opportunity for the prevention and/or slowing down of the predisposition toward obesity, exists from pregnancy through childhood.
Highlights
Prevalence rates of childhood obesity continue to rise worldwide
Findingsfrom fromaalarge largestudy studyincluding including mother–child pairs (mostly demonstrated that maternal obesity during early pregnancy mother–child pairs demonstrated that maternal obesity during early pregnancy associated with a 0.63 standard deviation increase in body mass test (OGTT) and glycated hemoglobin) during pregnancy and children’s %BF at 10 to 14 years were evaluated by Lowe Jr. et al [39]
There are a limited number of studies evaluating adiposity between the ages of two and five due to limitations of current body composition techniques, including lack of age-specific predictive equations, minimal movement required for exam success, and lack of appropriate devices for small bodies or that can be used in children across all age stages (e.g., ADP is unavailable for children aged two to six years) [80,81]
Summary
Prevalence rates of childhood obesity continue to rise worldwide. Analysis of data pooled from studies conducted between 1975 and 2016 revealed a 4.9% and 6.9% global increase in the prevalence of obesity among girls and boys aged 5–19 years, respectively [1]. Recent research has shown the existence of varied AT subtypes, but only the brown and white AT have been extensively characterized in humans [3,4] Both AT types are important for energy homeostasis, they differ considerably given their characteristic distribution, lipid composition, and cytokine profiles (Table 1) [3,4]. There has been an extensive effort to develop effective preventive and treatment strategies targeting these determinants of AT expansion In this narrative review, we describe the trajectories of AT development from the intrauterine period to late adolescence and examine the role of prenatal and postnatal factors that have been identified to contribute to its development and expansion.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
