Baby fat
Baby the Himba
Baby fat is a slang term for the fact that babies have a particularly high percentage of body fat . At 15%, their body fat percentage is higher than that of newborns from many other species, even harp seals, at birth . During the first 9 months of life it rises to 25% and then slowly falls again. After about three years of life, it corresponds to that of adults. The prepubertal nadir is reached at around 5–7 years of age .
In contrast to the older theory that the fat layer is needed as thermal insulation, it is now assumed that the growing brain covers its extremely high energy requirements from this fat. The brain of the human newborn uses 60% of the available metabolic energy.
Sources and individual references
- ↑ CW Kuzawa: Adipose tissue in human infancy and childhood: an evolutionary perspective. In: American journal of physical anthropology. Suppl 27 1998, pp. 177-209, PMID 9881526 (review).