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Composition of Postnatal Weight Loss and Subsequent Weight Gain in Small for Dates Newborn Infants
Author(s) -
WAGEN A. v. d.,
OKKEN A.,
ZWEENS J.,
ZIJLSTRA W. G.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1985.tb10921.x
Subject(s) - weight loss , medicine , weight gain , body water , birth weight , zoology , body weight , fluid compartments , weight change , gestational age , endocrinology , pregnancy , extracellular fluid , chemistry , obesity , biology , biochemistry , extracellular , genetics
. Using a sucrose and deuterium oxide dilution technique body water compartments and solids were serially determined in small for dates newborn infants at birth, at the moment of maximum postnatal weight loss and on recovery of birth weight. Compositions of weight loss and subsequent weight gain were calculated from the differences in body water compartments and solids between the first and the second and the second and the third study, respectively. Birth weight of the infants was 1.55 ± 0.46 kg (mean ± SD) ( n =7). gestational age was 35.7 ± 3.1 weeks. Results show that despite changes in extra‐ and intracellular water volumes during weight loss, total body water volume and solids per unit of body weight remained remarkably constant throughout the study. Compositions of weight loss and subsequent weight gain were simlar to body composition. This suggests that in small for dates newborn infants postnatal weight loss is the result of catabolism rather than dehydration and subsequent weight gain is the result of growth rather than rehydration.