To determine whether adiposity was altered, body size (weight, length) and composition, determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, were examined in preterm infants fed with a nutrient enriched (A, n = 56), a term infant (B, n = 57) or the nutrient enriched (discharge and term) plus the term formula (term and 6 mo; C, n = 26), and a group of breast-fed preterm infants (D, n = 25) at hospital discharge, 3, 6, and 12 mo corrected age. The results were analyzed using standard statistics. One hundred sixty-four infants (birth weight = 1406 ± 248 g, GA = 31 ± 1.7 wk) were studied. All infants underwent “catch-up,” but weight and length were greater in infants in group A compared with groups B, C, or D. More rapid and complete “catch-up” was paralleled by increased total nonfat and fat mass (g) but not percentage of fat mass. Changes in fat mass (g) were primarily explained by increased fat accretion on the legs. More rapid and complete “catch-up” growth, therefore, reflected increased nonfat and peripheral fat mass. These data do not support the hypothesis of increased or central adiposity in infants fed a nutrient-enriched formula after hospital discharge.
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