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

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.