Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T05:15:02.421Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Determinants of fat mass in prepubertal children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

M. J. Müller*
Affiliation:
Institut für Humanernährung und Lebensmittelkunde (Abteilung Ernährung des Menschen), Germany
A. Grund
Affiliation:
Institut für Humanernährung und Lebensmittelkunde (Abteilung Ernährung des Menschen), Germany
H. Krause
Affiliation:
Institut für Sport und Sportwissenschaften (Abteilung Sportmedizin) der Christian-Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Germany
M. Siewers
Affiliation:
Institut für Sport und Sportwissenschaften (Abteilung Sportmedizin) der Christian-Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Germany
A. Bosy-Westphal
Affiliation:
Institut für Humanernährung und Lebensmittelkunde (Abteilung Ernährung des Menschen), Germany
H. Rieckert
Affiliation:
Institut für Sport und Sportwissenschaften (Abteilung Sportmedizin) der Christian-Albrechts Universität zu Kiel, Germany
*
*Corresponding author:Professor Manfred J. Müller, fax +49 431 8805 679, email mmueller@nutrfoodsc.uni-kiel.de
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The aim of the present study was to compare variables of metabolism, physical activity and fitness to body composition in normal and overweight children in a cross-sectional study design. Body composition was assessed by anthropometric measurements and bioelectrical impedance analysis in forty-eight prepubertal children (age 5–11 years, thirteen normal-weight, thirty-five overweight). Total energy expenditure (EE) was measured by combination of indirect calorimetry (for measurement of resting EE) and individually calibrated 24 h heart-rate (HR) monitoring. Activity-related EE and physical activity level (PAL) were calculated. Time spent with min-by-min HR>FLEX HR was also used as a marker of moderate habitual and vigorous activities. Aerobic fitness (O2 pulse (O2 consumption:HR at submaximal steady-state heart rate), submaximal O2 consumption (VO2submaximal), RER at a HR of 170 beats per min) was determined by bicycle ergometry. Muscle strength of the legs (maximal isometric strength of musculus quadriceps and of musculus ischiocruralis (Fa max and Fb max respectively)) was measured by computer tensiometry. When compared with normal children, overweight children had higher skinfold thicknesses (sum of skinfold thicknesses at four sites +160%), fat mass (+142%), waist (+24%) and hip circumferences (+14%), resting EE (+13%) and RER (+5%). No significant group differences were found for fat-free mass, muscle mass, total EE, activity-related EE, PAL, HR>FLEX HR, VO2submaximal, O2 pulse, Fa max and Fb max as well as the fat-free mass- or muscle mass-adjusted values for resting EE, aerobic fitness and muscle strength. When compared with normal children, overweight children had a lower measured v. estimated resting EE (Δ resting EE) and spent more time watching television. There were positive relationships between fat-free mass(x) and resting EE(x), total EE(y), aerobic fitness(y) and muscle strength(y), but only Δ resting EE(x) and HR>FLEX HR(x) correlated with fat mass(y). In a stepwise multivariate regression analysis resting EE adjusted for fat-free mass and Δ resting EE were significant determinants of % fat mass and explained 29·7% of its variance. Thus, in the present cross-sectional study, resting EE was the most important determinant of fat mass.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2002

References

Armstrong, N, Balding, J, Gentle, P & Kirby, B (1990) Patterns of physical activity among 11 to 16 year old British children. British Medical Journal 30, 203205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boileau, RA, Lohman, TG & Slaughter, MH (1985) Exercise and body composition of children and youth. Scandinavian Journal of Sports Science 7, 1728.Google Scholar
Crespo, CJ, Smit, E, Troiano, RP, Bartlett, SJ, Marcera, CA & Andersen, RE (2001) Television watching, energy intake, and obesity in US children. Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescence Medicine 155, 360365.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davies, PSW, Gregory, J & White, A (1995) Physical activity and body fatness in pre-school children. International Journal of Obesity 19, 610.Google Scholar
DuRant, RH, Baranowski, T, Johnson, M & Thompson, WO (1994) The relationship among TV-watching, physical activity, and body composition of young children. Pediatrics 94, 449455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eston, RG, Rowlands, AV & Ingledew, DK (1998) Validity of heart rate, pedometry, and accelerometry for predicting the energy cost of children's activities. Journal of Applied Physiology 84, 362371.Google Scholar
Fogelholm, M, Nuutinen, O, Pasanen, M, Myöhären, E & Säätelä, T (1999) Parent–child relationship of physical activity pattern, and obesity. International Journal of Obesity 23, 12621268.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fontvielle, AM, Kriska, A & Ravussin, E (1993) Decreased physical activity in Pima Indian compared with Caucasian children. International Journal of Obesity 17, 445452.Google Scholar
Goran, MI (2001) Metabolic precursors and effects of obesity in children: a decade of progress, 1990–2000. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 73, 158171.Google Scholar
Goran, MI, Driscoll, P, Johnson, R, Nagy, TR & Hunter, G (1996) Cross-calibration of body composition techniques against dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in young children. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 63, 299305.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goran, MI, Shewchuk, R, Gower, BA, Nagy, TR, Carpenter, WH & Johnson, RK (1998) Longitudinal changes in fatness in white children: no effect of childhood energy expenditure. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 67, 309316.Google Scholar
Gortmaker, SL, Dietz, WH & Cheung, LWY (1996) Inactivity, diet, and the fattening of America. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 90, 12471252, 1255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grund, A, Dilba, B, Forberger, K, Krause, H, Siewers, M, Rieckert, H & Müller, MJ (2000a) Relationships between physical activity, physical fitness, muscle strength and nutritional state in 5- to 11-year-old children. European Journal of Applied Physiology 82, 425438.Google Scholar
Grund, A, Krause, H, Kraus, M, Siewers, M, Rieckert, H & Müller, MJ (2001a) Association between different attributes of physical activity and fat mass in untrained, endurance- and resistance-trained men. European Journal of Applied Physiology 84, 310320.Google Scholar
Grund, A, Krause, H, Siewers, M, Rieckert, H & Müller, MJ (2001b) Functional, behavioural and sociodemographic characteristics of prepubertalchildren with obese and non-obese parents. Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin 26, 17.Google Scholar
Grund, A, Krause, H, Siewers, M, Rieckert, H & Müller, MJ (2001c) Is TV viewing an index for physical activity and fitness in prepubertal children? Public Health Nutrition 4, 12451251.Google Scholar
Grund, A, Vollbrecht, H, Frandsen, W, Krause, H, Siewers, M, Rieckert, H & Müller, MJ (1999) Measurement of total energy expenditure in children and adults by "heart rate monitoring". Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin 24, 129137.Google Scholar
Grund, A, Vollbrecht, H, Frandsen, W, Krause, H, Siewers, M, Rieckert, H & Müller, MJ (2000b) No effect of gender on different components of daily energy expenditure in free living prepubertal children. International Journal of Obesity 24, 17.Google Scholar
Haskell, WL, Yee, MC, Evans, A & Irby, PJ (1993) Simultaneous measurement of heart rate and body motion to quantitate physical activity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 25, 109115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henry, CJ, Webster-Gandy, JD & Elia, M (1999) PALs in a sample of Oxford school children aged 10–13 years. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53, 840843.Google Scholar
Hesse, V (1997) Wachstum und entwicklung (Growth and development). In Endokrinologie – Grundlagen Klinik Praxis (Endocrinology – Basic, Clinic and Practice), pp. 623 [Meng, W and Ziegler, R, editors]. Jena, Stuttgard, Lübeck, Ulm: Fisher Verlag.Google Scholar
Jakicic, JM, Winters, C, Lagally, K, Ho, J, Robertson, RJ & Wing, RR (1999) The accuracy of the TriTrac-R3D accelerometer to estimate energy expenditure. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 31, 747754.Google Scholar
Klesges, RC, Shelton, ML & Klesges, LM (1993) Effects of television on metabolic rate, potential implications for childhood obesity. Pediatrics 92, 281286.Google Scholar
Livingstone, MB, Coward, WA, Prentice, AM, Davies, PSW, Strain, JJ, McKenna, PG, Mahoney, CA, White, JA, Stewart, CM & Kerr, M-JJ (1992) Daily energy expenditure in free-living children, comparison of heart-rate monitoring with the doubly labeled water (2H218O) method. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 56, 343352.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Livingstone, MBE (1994) Energy expenditure and physical activity in relation to fitness in children. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 53, 207224.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maffeis, C, Pinelli, L, Zaffanello, M, Schena, F, Lacumin, P & Schutz, Y (1995) Daily energy expenditure in free-living conditions in obese and non-obese children, comparison of doubly labelled water (2H218O) method and heart-rate monitoring. International Journal of Obesity 19, 671677.Google Scholar
Maffeis, C, Schena, F, Zaffanello, M, Zoccatite, L, Schulz, Y & Pinelli, L (1994) Maximal aerobic power during running and cycling in obese and non-obese children. Acta Pediatrica 83, 113116.Google Scholar
Mast, M, Körtzinger, I, König, E & Müller, MJ (1998) Gender differences in fat mass of 5–7 year old children. International Journal of Obesity 22, 878884.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mast, M, Langnäse, K, Laibitzke, K, Bruse, U, Preuss, U & Müller, MJ (2002a) Use of BMI as a measure of overweight and obesity in a field study on 5–7-year old children. European Journal of Nutrition 41, 6167.Google Scholar
Mast, M, Sönnichsen, A, Langnäse, K, Laibitzke, K, Bruse, U, Preuß, U & Müller, MJ (2002b) Inconsistencies in bioelectrical impedance and anthropometric measurements of fat mass in a field study of prepubertal children. British Journal of Nutrition 87, 163175.Google Scholar
Müller, MJ, von zur Mühlen, A, v. Lautz, H, Schmidt, FW, Daiber, M & Hiirter, P (1989) Energy expenditure in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus, evidence for increased thermogenesis. British Medical Journal 299, 487491.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murgatroyd, PR, Shetty, PS & Prentice, AM (1993) Techniques for the measurement of human energy expenditure, a practical guide. International Journal of Obesity 17, 549568.Google ScholarPubMed
Ravussin, E & Bogardus, C (1989) Relationship of genetics, age, and physical fitness to daily energy expenditure and fuel utilisation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 49, 968975.Google Scholar
Rennie, K, Rowsell, T, Jebb, SA, Holburn, D & Wareham, NJ (2000) A combined heart rate and movement sensor, proof of concept and preliminary testing study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54, 409414.Google Scholar
Ross, JG & Pate, RR (1987) The National Children and Youth Fitness Study II, A summary of findings. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance 58, 5156.Google Scholar
Rowlands, AV, Eston, RG & Ingledow, DK (1997) Measurement of physical activity in children with particular reference to the use of heart rate and pedometry. Sports Medicine 24, 258272.Google Scholar
Rowlands, AV, Eston, RG & Ingledew, DK (1999) Relationship between activity levels, aerobic fitness, and body fat in 8- to 10-yr-old children. American Journal of Physiology 86, 14281435.Google Scholar
Sasaki, J, Shindo, M & Tanaka, H (1987) A long-term aerobic exercise program decreases obesity index and increases the HDL-concentration in obese children. International Journal of Obesity 11, 339346.Google Scholar
Schulz, LO & Schoeller, DA (1994) A compilation of daily energy expenditures and body weight in healthy adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 60, 676681.Google Scholar
Schulz, S, Westerterp, KR & Brück, K (1989) Comparison of energy expenditure by the doubly labelled water technique with energy intake, heart rate, and activity recording in man. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 49, 11461154.Google Scholar
Spurr, GB, Prentice, PD, Murgatroyd, PR, Goldberg, MS, Reina, JC & Christman, NT (1988) Energy expenditure from minute-by-minute heart rate recording, comparison with indirect calorimetry. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 48, 552559.Google Scholar
Tanner, JM (1962) Growth at Adolescence, 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Science Publications.Google Scholar
Treuth, MS, Figuero-Lolon, R, Hunter, GR, Weinsier, RL & Goran, MI (1998) Energy expenditure and physical fitness in overweight v. non-overweight prepubertal girls. International Journal of Obesity 22, 440447.Google Scholar
Trost, SG, Kerr, LM, Ward, DS & Pate, RR (2001) Physical activity and determinants of physical activity in obese and non-obese children. International Journal of Obesity 25, 822829.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
VanItallie, TB, Yang, M-U, Heymsfield, SB, Funk, RC & Boileau, RA (1990) Height-normalized indices of the body's fat-free mass and fat mass, potentially useful indicators of nutritional status. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52, 953959.Google Scholar
Weinsier, RL, Hunter, GR, Desmond, RA, Byrne, NM, Zuckerman, PA & Darnell, BE (2002) Free-living activity energy expenditure in women successful and unsuccessful at maintaining a normal body weight. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 75, 499504.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weir JB, de V (1949) New methods of calculating metabolic rate with special reference to protein metabolism. Journal of Physiology 109, 19.Google Scholar
Wolf, AM, Gartmarker, SC, Cheung, L, Gray, HM, Herzog, DB & Colditz, GA (1993) Activity, inactivity and obesity, racial, ethnic and age differences among school girls. American Journal of Public Health 83, 16251627.Google Scholar