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Infant body composition research revolutionised with new PEA POD® technology

25 January 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Sonia Small

Prof Corinna Walsh says the PEA POD Infant Body Composition System works by directly measuring an infant’s body weight and volume, and then uses these measurements to calculate the body fat percentage, fat mass, and fat-free mass.

Nutritional and growth patterns during early life have been associated with health, development, and well-being throughout the life cycle. It is also associated with risks for developing obesity and non-communicable diseases, such as cardiometabolic diseases, later in life. These are the findings of Prof Corinna Walsh, Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Maternal and child health

”In line with national priorities, a strong research focus area of the Faculty of Health Sciences and the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is maternal and child health,” she says. She goes on to mention that the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics has established a reputable research programme. This programme focuses primarily on the nutritional status of pregnant women and how the early environment to which they are exposed during and after pregnancy affects short- and long-term health outcomes of the offspring.

“In our previous work, the assessment of birth outcomes of infants was, however, limited by the lack of equipment to analyse body composition. The research that we can conduct with the PEA POD® provides us with immense additional potential,” remarks Prof Walsh.

She explains, “The PEA POD Infant Body Composition System is an infant-sized air displacement plethysmography system. It works by directly measuring an infant’s body weight and volume, and then uses these measurements to calculate the body fat percentage, fat mass, and fat-free mass.

According to her, the assessment of body volume takes two minutes. “The PEA POD technique also does not require collection of any fluids and does not expose the infant to radiation. It can be performed as often as required without any risks and be used up to a maximum of 8-10 kg body weight, from birth to about eight months,” she says.

Advanced technology

In the context of research on infant body weight and composition, there is a need for accurate measurement techniques that can differentiate between fat mass and fat-free mass. Prof Walsh is of the opinion that traditional measures such as body mass index (BMI) and weight for length have limitations in this regard, as they do not provide a clear distinction between these components. Furthermore, BMI may not be reliable for assessing adiposity or obesity in paediatric populations, and it can vary significantly with age and gender.

Addressing these challenges, the PEA POD equipment offers advanced technology that allows for highly accurate quantification of infant body composition. This technological capability opens up opportunities to study the effects of early-life nutrition on growth and the developmental mechanisms that may lead to later comorbidities. So, when it comes to researching infant body weight and composition, the PEA POD equipment plays a crucial role in providing precise data and insights.

News Archive

UFS PhD student receives more than R5,8 million to take agricultural research to African farmers

2015-07-06

Prof Maryke Labuschagne and Bright Peprah. (Photo: Supplied)

Bright Peprah, a Plant Breeding PhD student from Ghana in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State received an award from the competitive Program for Emerging Agricultural Research Leaders (PEARL) of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for one of his projects.

From the more than 750 proposals for funding that were received from African researchers, only 19 received funding from PEARL. PEARL is an agricultural initiative by the BMGF to take agricultural research products to African farmers. It also aims at involving the youth and women in agriculture.

Peprah’s proposal to introgress beta carotene into farmer-preferred cassava landraces was part of the final 19 proposals funded. The project is being led by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)Crops Research Institute (CRI), and has the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) as international partners with Peprah as the principal investigator.

The development of nutrient-dense cassava cultivars needs attention to eliminate the ramifications of malnutrition among the poor in an inexpensive and more sustainable way.
Photo: Supplied

He received $473 000 (R5,8 million) for his project on the improvement of beta-carotene content in cassava.

Peprah decided on this project because the populations of underdeveloped and developing countries, such as Ghana, commonly suffer undernourishment and/or hidden hunger, predisposing them to diseases from micronutrients deficiencies. “Vitamin A deficiency constitutes an endemic public health problem which affects women and children largely,” he says.

“In Africa, cassava is widely consumed by the populace. Unfortunately, in these areas, malnutrition is endemic to a significant extent, partly due to the low micronutrients in this tuberous root crop, which is a major component of most household diets. It is for this reason that the development of nutrient- dense cassava cultivars needs much attention to eliminate the ramifications of malnutrition among the poor in an inexpensive and more sustainable way.

“To date we have selected top eight genotypes from germplasm collected from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) which are high in carotenoids and also poundable, a key trait to Ghanaian farmers. These eight genotypes have been planted at different locations in Ghana, and being evaluated by different stakeholders (consumers, researchers, producers, commercial farmers, processors, etc.). If found suitable, the genotypes will be released to farmers, which we hope will solve some of the micronutrient problems in Ghana.

“My projects seek to develop new cassava varieties that will have both high dry matter and beta carotene which has been reported to be negatively correlated (as one increase, the other decreases). The breeding method will be crossing varieties that are high in beta carotene with those with high dry matter, and checking the performance of the seedlings later. Developing such new varieties (yellow flesh cassava) will increase their adoption rate by Ghanaian farmers,” he said.

Prof Maryke Labuschagne, Professor in Plant Breeding in the Department Plant Sciences and Peprah’s study leader, said: “This project has the potential to alleviate vitamin A deficiency in the West African region, where this deficiency is rampant, causing blindness in many people, especially children."

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