Effect Of Infant Feeding Practices Research Articles

“Effect of Infant Feeding Practices on Nutritional Status of The Children Attending Out Patient Department of Shaheed Suhrawardi Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh”

“Effect of Infant Feeding Practices on Nutritional Status of The Children Attending Out Patient Department of Shaheed Suhrawardi Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh”

Adult cancer risk in women who were breastfed as infants: large UK prospective study

There are known short-term benefits in breastfed infants versus bottle-fed infants in terms of lower risks of infection and obesity in infancy and childhood, but the long-term effect on the risk of adult cancers is unclear. In a cohort of 1 in 4 UK women born in 1935–1950 we report the incidence of adult cancers in relation to having been breastfed in infancy. In median year 2001 (interquartile range 2000–2003) 548,741 women without prior cancer reported whether they had been breastfed. There was 81% agreement between women’s report of having been breastfed and information on breastfeeding recorded when they were 2 years old. Participants were followed by record-linkage to national cancer registration, hospital admission and death databases. Cox regression yielded adjusted relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) by having been breastfed or not for eight cancer sites with > 2000 incident cases and for related conditions, where appropriate. Of the eight cancers examined here one association was highly statistically significant: an increase in colorectal cancer incidence among women who had been breastfed versus not (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.12–1.24, n = 8651). To investigate further the findings for colorectal cancer, we studied eight other gastro-intestinal conditions, and found increased risks in women who had been breastfed versus not for benign colorectal polyps (RR 1.09, 95% CI 1.05–1.13, n = 17,677) and for appendicitis (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.07–1.31, n = 2108). The greater risks of adult colorectal cancer, colorectal polyps and appendicitis associated with having been breastfed in infancy suggest possible long-term effects of infant feeding practices on the gastrointestinal tract. Further studies are required to clarify this novel association.

Effects of infant feeding practices and maternal characteristics on early childhood obesity.

Early childhood obesity is a serious health problem not only because it causes serious health problems in children, but also because it poses a risk of obesity in the later stages of life. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of feeding (breastfeeding times, exclusive breastfeeding times, instances of night-time bottle feeding) and maternal characteristics (weight gain during pregnancy, BMI, socioeconomic status) on childhood overweight and obesity in children up to 36 months old. Babies born in the province of Rize (Turkey) between the dates of November 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014 whom birth weights between 2500gr and 4500gr participated in our prospective cohort study. The present study lasted for 3 years and 11 interviews were conducted with each mother of the infants during this period. Relationship between obesity or overweight and feeding practices evaluated into two groups according to their feeding practices. 294 healthy children were included. Mean weight of the babies at 36 months were 14.6 kilograms, 6 babies (2 %) were overweight, 20 babies (7 %) were obese, and 268 babies (91 %) were at an normal weight. 82 babies (21 %) exclusive breastfed less than six months and 212 babies (55 %) exclusive breastfed six months or more. Overweight and obesity is less frequent among children who were exclusively breastfed for at least six months (p<0.05). We concluded.that exclusive breastfeeding time and maternal obesity have a significant effect on childhood overweight and obesity.

Effect of infant feeding practices on iron status in a cohort study of Bolivian infants

BackgroundIron deficiency (ID) is the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide, with potentially severe consequences on child neurodevelopment. Though exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is recommended for 6 months, breast milk has low iron content. This study aimed to estimate the effect of the length of EBF on iron status at 6 – 8 months of age among a cohort of Bolivian infants.MethodsMother-infant pairs were recruited from 2 hospitals in El Alto, Bolivia, and followed from one through 6 – 8 months of age. Singleton infants > 34 weeks gestational age, iron-sufficient at baseline, and completing blood draws at 2 and 6 – 8 months of age were eligible for inclusion (N = 270). Ferritin was corrected for the effect of inflammation. ID was defined as inflammation-corrected ferritin < 12 μg/L, and anemia was defined as altitude-corrected hemoglobin < 11 g/dL; IDA was defined as ID plus anemia. The effect of length of EBF (infant received only breast milk with no other liquids or solids, categorized as < 4, 4 – 6, and > 6 months) was assessed for ID, IDA, and anemia (logistic regression) and ferritin (Fer) and hemoglobin (Hb, linear regression).ResultsLow iron status was common among infants at 6 – 8 months: 56% of infants were ID, 76% were anemic, and 46% had IDA. EBF of 4 months and above was significantly associated with ID as compared with EBF < 4 months (4 – 6 months: OR 2.0 [1.1 – 3.4]; > 6 months: 3.3 [1.0 – 12.3]), but not with IDA (4 – 6 months: OR 1.4 [0.8 – 2.4]; > 6 months: 2.2 [0.7 – 7.4]), or anemia (4 – 6 months: OR 1.4 [0.7 – 2.5]; > 6 months: 1.5 [0.7 – 7.2]). Fer and Hb concentrations were significantly lower with increasing months of EBF.ConclusionsResults suggest a relationship between prolonged EBF and ID, but are not sufficient to support changes to current breastfeeding recommendations. More research is needed in diverse populations, including exploration of early interventions to address infant IDA.

Timing of food introduction and development of food sensitization in a prospective birth cohort.

The effect of infant feeding practices on the development of food allergy remains controversial. We examined the relationship between timing and patterns of food introduction and sensitization to foods at age 1year in the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort study. Nutrition questionnaire data prospectively collected at age 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24months were used to determine timing of introduction of cow's milk products, egg, and peanut. At age 1year, infants underwent skin prick testing to cow's milk, egg white, and peanut. Logistic regression models were fitted to assess the impact of timing of food exposures on sensitization outcomes, and latent class analysis was used to study patterns of food introduction within the cohort. Among 2124 children with sufficient data, delaying introduction of cow's milk products, egg, and peanut beyond the first year of life significantly increased the odds of sensitization to that food (cow's milk adjOR 3.69, 95% CI 1.37-9.08; egg adjOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.25-2.80; peanut adjOR 1.76, 95% CI 1.07-3.01). Latent class analysis produced a three-class model: early, usual, and delayed introduction. A pattern of delayed introduction, characterized by avoidance of egg and peanut during the first year of life, increased the odds of sensitization to any of the three tested foods (adjOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.26-2.49). Avoidance of potentially allergenic foods during the first year of life significantly increased the odds of sensitization to the corresponding foods.

Dietary diversity and child malnutrition in Ghana.

The health of children in Ghana has improved in recent years. However, the current prevalence rates of malnutrition remain above internationally acceptable levels. This study, therefore, revisits the determinants of child health by using Ghana’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey to investigate the effect of infant feeding practices on child health. We used the World Health Organization’s Infant and Young Children Feeding guidelines to measure dietary quality. The econometric analyses show that dietary diversity may cause improvement in children’s health in Ghana. This suggests that educational campaigns on proper infant feeding and complementary dieting could be an effective means of improving the health of children in Ghana.

The Influence of Infant Feeding Practices on Infant Mortality in Southern Africa.

Objective To examine the adjusted and unadjusted effects of infant feeding practices on infant mortality in Southern Africa. Methods A merged dataset from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys for Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe was analysed using the Cox Proportional Hazard Model. A total number of 13,218 infants born in 5years preceding all the surveys with information on infant feeding practices constituted the study population. Infant mortality was the outcome variable and infant feeding practices categorised into; no breastfeeding, partial breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding were the main explanatory variables. Maternal demographic and socio-economic characteristics and infants' bio-demographic characteristics were also studied. Results Although, exclusive breastfeeding was quite low (12%), exclusively breastfed infants exhibited a 97% lower risk of dying during infancy compared to infants not breastfed in the region. Variations existed by country in the levels and patterns of both infant mortality and infant feeding practices. Mother's country, highest level of education and marital status; child's sex, birth weight and preceding birth interval were the significant predictors of infant mortality in Southern Africa. Conclusions Any form of breastfeeding whether exclusive or partial breastfeeding greatly reduces the risk of infant mortality with the greatest mortality reduction effect observed among exclusively breastfed infants in Southern Africa. To reduce the upsurge of infant mortality, there is the need to step up the effectiveness of child nutrition programmes that promote breastfeeding and put emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding of infants in the region.

Infant feeding and anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody concentrations in the Generation R Study

Celiac disease (CD) has emerged as a common, but largely undiagnosed health problem. Numerous studies examined the influence of infant nutrition on the development of diagnosed CD. However, results are still inconsistent. In addition, the effect of infant feeding practices on the development of potential forms of CD might be different. The objective was to examine whether the timing of gluten introduction and breastfeeding duration are associated with CD autoimmunity (CDA) in children at the age of 6 y. This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study. Participants included 1679 Dutch children who were positive for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQ2/DQ8. Data on the timing of gluten introduction (<6 mo compared with ≥6 mo) and duration of breastfeeding (<6 mo compared with ≥6 mo) were obtained by questionnaire. Serum samples were analyzed for anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) concentrations at age 6 y. Anti-tTG concentrations were categorized into negative (<7 U/mL) and positive (≥7 U/mL) values. Positive anti-tTG concentrations were further categorized based on ≥10 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) values of the test kit (≥7-70 and ≥70 U/mL). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Positive anti-tTG concentrations were found in 43 children, 26 of whom had concentrations ≥10 times the ULN (≥70 IU/mL). The introduction of gluten from the age of 6 mo onward and breastfeeding for ≥6 mo were not significantly associated with positive anti-tTG concentrations. In addition, the timing of gluten introduction and duration of breastfeeding were not significantly associated with positive anti-tTG concentrations below or above 10 times the ULN. Delayed introduction of gluten beyond the age of 6 mo does not increase the risk of CDA. In addition, breastfeeding for ≥6 mo does not decrease the risk of CDA in children at 6 y of age.

HIV status, breastfeeding modality at 5 months and postpartum maternal weight changes over 24 months in rural South Africa

ObjectiveTo determine the effect of infant feeding practices on postpartum weight change among HIV-infected and -uninfected women in South Africa.MethodsIn a non-randomised intervention cohort study of antiretroviral therapy-naïve women in South Africa, infants were classified as exclusive (EBF), mixed (MF) or non-breastfed (NBF) at each visit. We analysed infant feeding cumulatively from birth to 5 months using 24-hour feeding history (collected weekly for each of the preceding 7 days). Using generalised estimating equation mixed models, allowing for repeated measures, we compared postpartum weight change (kg) from the first maternal postpartum weight within the first 6 weeks (baseline weight) to each subsequent visit through 24 months among 2340 HIV-infected and -uninfected women with live births and at least two postpartum weight measurements.ResultsHIV-infected (−0.2 kg CI: −1.7 to 1.3 kg; P = 0.81) and -uninfected women (−0.5 kg; 95% CI: −2.1 to 1.2 kg; P = 0.58) had marginal non-significant weight loss from baseline to 24 months postpartum. Adjusting for HIV status, socio-demographic, pregnancy-related and infant factors, 5-month feeding modality was not significantly associated with postpartum weight change: weight change by 24 months postpartum, compared to the change in the reference EBF group, was 0.03 kg in NBF (95% CI: −2.5 to +2.5 kg; P = 0.90) and 0.1 kg in MF (95% CI: −3.0 to +3.2 kg; P = 0.78).ConclusionHIV-infected and -uninfected women experienced similar weight loss over 24 months. Weight change postpartum was not associated with 5-month breastfeeding modality among HIV-infected and -uninfected women.

The Effects of Infant Feeding Practices on Infant and Maternal Health in a Medieval Community

Breastfeeding practices exert profound effects on infant and maternal health. This paper explores this for a Medieval English population using a synthesis of skeletal data from the archaeological site at Wharram Percy, England. Duration of breastfeeding was assessed using δ15N levels in infant bones. Infant health was evaluated using bone growth. The aspect of female health investigated was bone mineral density (BMD). Results indicate that duration of weaning was normally about eighteen months. Prior to about eighteen months of age infant skeletal growth matched that of a recent reference population. After this it began to fall behind. Women in the 30–49 year age group showed depressed BMD compared with younger women, suggesting significant pre-menopausal loss of BMD. The growth data suggest that the beneficial effects of breast milk permitted rapid growth of infants, but once breastfeeding ceased, growth faltered. In modern populations, maternal BMD normally diminishes during lactation, but subsequently recovers. At Wharram Percy, the depressed BMD in the women's later reproductive years suggest that lactational losses may not have been recovered. Extended lactation under conditions of poor nutrition and a physically demanding lifestyle may have played a part in this. In addition to pre-menopausal BMD loss, the Wharram Percy women showed normal post-menopausal loss. The combined effect was skeletal fragility in old age, and consequent osteoporotic fractures.

“Can breast feeding help you in later life? Evidence from German military heights in the early 20th century”

Considerable literature exists on the benefits of breast feeding on the health and survival of infants and young children, but there is less on the effects on later life outcomes. One such measure of health and well-being that has received attention in the historical literature is terminal adult stature. Information on height is rather widely available; however, it is much more difficult to obtain data on breast feeding. One country that does have such information is Imperial Germany (1871–1919). A number of physicians and local health officials collected information on the incidence and duration of breast feeding early in the 20th century, particularly because of concern about the unusually high infant mortality rates in parts of Germany. Hallie Kintner has surveyed the published results of these studies. The information on the prevalence of breast feeding for the period 1903/10 has been inputed into a database of demographic and economic variables for the counties ( Regierungsbezirke) of Germany (1850–1939). There are also published data on heights of military recruits from the Imperial German military forces in 1906. These can be linked to areas in the database and related to breast feeding practices and infant mortality both contemporaneously and approximately 20 years previous to 1906. Results indicate a significant effect of infant feeding practices on later life outcomes operating through infant health conditions, proxied by the infant mortality rate.

Effect of Dietary Fiber on Endogenous Cholesterol Synthesis in Infants† 1521

Cholesterol (chol) content of infant diet varies with human milk providing≈150 mg/dl vs 11 mg/dl in commercial (Similac) infant formula. Endogenous chol fractional synthesis rate (FSR) is significantly lower in human milk vs formula fed infants (Pediatr Res 1994;35:135). Dietary fiber decreases chol absorption in adults. Parents often begin solids before the AAP- recommended 4-6 months (mon) of age, but metabolic effects of infant feeding practices are unknown. We conducted a pilot study to test the hypothesis that addition of dietary fiber to infant diet would result in higher chol FSR.Methods: 12 male term infants were fed SMA formula (chol 33mg/dl) to 1 yr of age. Subjects were randomized to begin barley cereal 8 Tbs/d (1.5g fiber/d) at the start of the 4th or 6th mon. Growth, dietary intake by 4-day records, serum chol and lipoproteins, & FSR were measured after 4 & 12 mon of age. FSR was measured using deuterium enrichment of erythrocyte membrane chol over a 4-day period (J Lipid Res 1991;32:1049). Nonparametric statistics were used. Results: There were no significant differences between groups for weight, intake, lipid, or FSR analyses. Median chol intake& synthesis rates are shown in the Table. Conclusion: In this pilot study of infants with moderate chol intake, earlier addition of dietary fiber resulted in a trend toward higher endogenous chol FSR that persisted beyond the dietary intervention.Speculation: Chol FSR during infancy may be responsive to early diet, which may have life-long implications for chol metabolism and cardiovascular disease risk. These pilot data may be used to design definitive studies of infant diet & cholesterol metabolism.

Effects of infant feeding practices and birth spacing on infant and child survival: a reassessment from retrospective and prospective data.

Retrospective and prospective data collected in Cameroon were used to reassess hypotheses about how infant and early childhood mortality is affected by birth spacing and breast-feeding. These data show that: (a) a short preceding birth interval is detrimental for child survival in the first 4 months of life; (b) full and partial breast-feeding have direct protective effects on child survival in the first 4-6 months of life, with the effects of the former stronger than those of the latter; (c) early subsequent conception significantly increases mortality risks in the first 16 months of life of the index child. These findings are robust to various controls, e.g. study design, data defects, child's health conditions at/around birth, postnatal maternal and child recurrent illnesses, patterns of utilisation of health care services, and immunisation status of the child.