New research challenges 4-decades old obesity theory as to why and how body composition varies in young children

MedicalXpress | أبر 16, 2026

In new research being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12–15 May) and published in The Journal of Nutrition, a 42-year-old theory as to why children's body mass index (BMI) decreases post-infancy before then rising continuously from age 6 years—"the adiposity rebound"—is refuted using new analyses—rather than decreasing body fat, the real reason is proposed as increasing muscle mass.