Abstract
BackgroundAdequate complementary feeding is recognized as an important predictor of health later in life. The objective of this study was to describe the feeding practices and nutrients’ intake, and their association with breastfeeding at six months of age, in a cohort of infants enrolled at birth in the maternity hospital of Trieste, Italy.MethodsOut of 400 infants enrolled at birth, 268 (67%) had complete data gathered through a 24-hour feeding diary on three separate days at six months, and two questionnaires administered at birth and at six months. Data from feeding diaries were used to estimate nutrients’ intakes using the Italian food composition database included in the software. To estimate the quantity of breastmilk, information was gathered on the frequency and length of breastfeeds.ResultsAt six months, 70% of infants were breastfed and 94% were given complementary foods. The average daily caloric intake was higher in non-breastfed (723 Kcal) than in breastfed infants (547 Kcal, p < 0.001) due to energy provided by complementary foods (321 vs. 190 Kcal, p < 0.001) and milk (363 vs. 301 Kcal, p = 0.007). Non-breastfed infants had also higher intakes of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The mean intake of macronutrients was within recommended ranges in both groups, except for the higher protein intake in non-breastfed infants. These consumed significantly higher quantities of commercial baby foods than breastfed infants.ConclusionsContrary to what is recommended, 94% of infants were not exclusively breastfed and were given complementary foods at six months. The proportion of daily energy intake from complementary foods was around 50% higher than recommended and with significant differences between breastfed and non-breastfed infants, with possible consequences for future nutrition and health.
Highlights
Adequate complementary feeding is recognized as an important predictor of health later in life
Seventeen (5%) infants weighed more than 4,200 g at birth, 54 (16%) were over 53 cm long, these values corresponding to the 97th World Health Organization (WHO) percentile [36]
Mothers lost to follow up had a higher level of education and were more likely to be Italian and to be employed at baseline compared to those still in the study at six months, but there were no significant differences in breastfeeding rates at enrolment
Summary
Adequate complementary feeding is recognized as an important predictor of health later in life. The objective of this study was to describe the feeding practices and nutrients’ intake, and their association with breastfeeding at six months of age, in a cohort of infants enrolled at birth in the maternity hospital of Trieste, Italy. The European Commission regulates the nutrient and micronutrient contents of infant foods, some studies show that these products may contain toxic elements [24,25,26,27] Their flavour is often perceived by infants as unfamiliar, which may lead to temporary rejection, as infants like flavours they already know because of experience during pregnancy and lactation [28,29]. We present detailed data on nutrients’ intake at six month of age and we investigate the association between feeding practices and breast- or formulafeeding, as well as the use of commercial baby foods
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