The Pattern of Blood Lipids, Glycerol and Ketone Bodies during the Neonatal Period, Infancy and Childhood

Abstract

Summary Studies of individual blood lipid fractions, glycerol, ketones and blood sugar were carried out in a large group of healthy children ranging in age from full term birth to 8 years, with the object of ascertaining the alterations in these parameters at birth and through the period of postnatal adaptation. FFA, glycerol and ketone bodies are low at birth then rise rapidly reaching the highest levels within the first 48 hours of life, remaining high during the neonatal period and decrease to the lowest values at 1–6 months. When peak values for FFA and glycerol are reached, blood sugar determinations exhibit the lowest values. During the first day after delivery, before the first feeding, glycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol rise. They reach their peak values at 2–3 days and at 4–5 days for the two latter fractions respectively. There is a highly significant correlation between FFA and glycerol, not however, between FFA and glucose during the neonatal period. The results indicate an intense lipolysis during the neonatal period. The mechanism initiating this lipid mobilization (and redistribution of endogenous stored lipids) is not known. The importance of neurogenic, hormonal and nutritional factors in the regulation of FFA metabolism is discussed. When the values for glucose tolerance (obtained from a previous study) are compared to the fasting FFA levels of corresponding age groups, there is a relationship: with decreasing FFA values there is an improvement of the carbohydrate tolerance.