ArticlePediatric research2024
Body composition in adults born preterm with very low birth weight.
Article in Pediatric research, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Is low birth weight associated with lower adiponectin levels? - A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Caution is needed when interpreting eGFR of adults born preterm.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Article
- Body composition at 2 years of age in moderate and late preterm infants.Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition · 2026Article
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and extremely preterm birth: time for a broader perspective on long-term outcomes.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026Review
- Preterm Birth, Fetal Growth Restriction and Early Postnatal Body Mass Index Normalisation Predict Adult Anthropometry.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2026Article
- Driver's licence in an adult population with good vision: an exploratory study in two longitudinal very low birthweight cohorts.BMJ open ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Blood and adipose tissue DNA methylation in adults born preterm with a very low birth weight - a sibling comparison study.Epigenomics · 2026Article
- Lung function in adults born with very low birth weight from young to mid-adulthood.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- PREVALENCE AND DEGREE OF RETINAL VASCULATURE ALTERATIONS IN ADULTS BORN PRETERM WITH VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT: A Birth Cohort Study.Retina (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2025Article
- Cardiac autonomic function in adults born preterm with very low birth weight in mid-adulthood-A two-country birth cohort study.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Visual pathway function in adults born preterm with very low birth weight: a two-country birth cohort study.Documenta ophthalmologica. Advances in ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Body Composition in Adults Born at Very Low Birthweight-A Sibling Study.Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology · 2025Article
- Imprint of preterm birth with very low birth weight on optic disc OCT in adulthood-A two-country birth cohort study.Acta ophthalmologica · 2025Article
- Body Composition in Preterm Infants: Current Insights and Emerging Perspectives.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Device-measured physical activity in adults born preterm with very low birth weight and mediation by motor abilities.PloS one · 2025Article
- Motor abilities in adults born with very low birthweight: A study of two birth cohorts from Finland and Norway.Developmental medicine and child neurology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundStudies on body composition in preterm very low birth weight (VLBW < 1500 g) survivors are inconsistent and trajectories later in life unknown. We assessed body composition and its change from young to mid-adulthood in VLBW adults.
methodsWe studied 137 VLBW adults and 158 term-born controls from two birth cohorts in Finland and Norway at mean age 36 years. Body composition was assessed by 8-polar bioelectrical impedance. We compared results with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measurements at 24 years.
resultsIn mid-adulthood, VLBW women and men were shorter than controls. Fat percentage (mean difference in women 1.1%; 95% CI, -1.5% to 3.5%, men 0.8%; -2.0% to 3.6%) and BMI were similar. VLBW women had 2.9 (0.9 to 4.8) kg and VLBW men 5.3 (2.7 to 8.1) kg lower lean body mass than controls, mostly attributable to shorter height. Between young and mid-adulthood, both groups gained fat and lean body mass (p for interaction VLBW x age>0.3).
conclusionCompared with term-born controls, VLBW adults had similar body fat percentage but lower lean body mass, largely explained by their shorter height. This could contribute to lower insulin sensitivity and muscular fitness previously found in VLBW survivors and predispose to functional limitations with increasing age. IMPACT: In mid-adulthood, individuals born preterm with very low birth weight had similar body fat percentage but lower lean body mass than those born at term. This was largely explained by their shorter height. First study to report longitudinal assessments of body size and composition from young to mid-adulthood in very low birth weight adults. Lower lean body mass in very low birth weight adults could contribute to lower insulin sensitivity and muscular fitness and lead to earlier functional limitations with increasing age.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.