Total Body Fat and its Distribution During Human Reproduction as Assessed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

Changes in the amount as well as in the distribution of fat in the female body are known to occur during human reproduction. Knowledge about the magnitude of these changes as well as their biological basis is a prerequisite for adequate recommendations of energy for pregnant and lactating women. Estimates of total body fat (TBF) obtained so far in pregnant and lactating women, have to be interpreted with caution because the methods used are based on assumptions possibly invalid during reproduction¹. A method for assessing TBF and its distribution, based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI-method), has therefore been developed and applied in a longitudinal study of women throughout a reproductive cycle (Sohlström et al, data to be published).