Growth Of Formula-fed Infants Research Articles

Origin of the Recommended Intake of L-Histidine by Infants

Origin of the Recommended Intake of L-Histidine by Infants

Dietary Nucleotides and Early Growth in Formula-Fed Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Dietary nucleotides are nonprotein nitrogenous compounds that are found in high concentrations in breast milk and are thought to be conditionally essential nutrients in infancy. A high nucleotide intake has been suggested to explain some of the benefits of breastfeeding compared with formula feeding and to promote infant growth. However, relatively few large-scale randomized trials have tested this hypothesis in healthy infants. We tested the hypothesis that nucleotide supplementation of formula benefits early infant growth. Occipitofrontal head circumference, weight, and length were assessed in infants who were randomly assigned to groups fed nucleotide-supplemented (31 mg/L; n=100) or control formula without nucleotide supplementation (n=100) from birth to the age of 20 weeks, and in infants who were breastfed (reference group; n=101). Infants fed with nucleotide-supplemented formula had greater occipitofrontal head circumference at ages 8, 16, and 20 weeks than infants fed control formula (mean difference in z scores at 8 weeks: 0.4 [95% confidence interval: 0.1-0.7]; P=.006) even after adjustment for potential confounding factors (P=.002). Weight at 8 weeks and the increase in both occipitofrontal head circumference and weight from birth to 8 weeks were also greater in infants fed nucleotide-supplemented formula than in those fed control formula. Our data support the hypothesis that nucleotide supplementation leads to increased weight gain and head growth in formula-fed infants. Therefore, nucleotides could be conditionally essential for optimal infant growth in some formula-fed populations. Additional research is needed to test the hypothesis that the benefits of nucleotide supplementation for early head growth, a critical period for brain growth, have advantages for long-term cognitive development.

Dietary Nucleotides and Early Growth in Formula-Fed Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Dietary Nucleotides and Early Growth in Formula-Fed Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Review of Fomon’s “Assessment of Growth of Formula-Fed Infants: Evolutionary Considerations”

To the Editor .— Dr Fomon's February article addresses the important issue of infant diet and growth using an evolutionary approach.1 His main concern throughout the article is the increasing use of breastfed infants as the standard reference population for growth rates despite the higher growth rates of formula-fed infants during the first 3 months. Fomon also criticizes the assumption that breastfeeding represents the most natural, and thus best, way of achieving optimal infant growth, and he should be congratulated for his use of evolutionary theory as a way to provide powerful insights into medical issues.2 In modern urban societies, breastfeeding is a culturally constructed practice and does not represent a “natural analog” to breastfeeding during evolutionary history. Fomon presents data that modern environments are much more sanitized, reducing the …

Infant feeding, early weight gain, and risk of type 1 diabetes. Childhood Diabetes in Finland (DiMe) Study Group.

To evaluate whether the increased risk of type 1 diabetes conferred by an early introduction of cow's milk supplements can be mediated by accelerated growth in formula-fed infants. All children < or = 14 years of age who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes from September 1986 to April 1989 were invited to participate in the study. Birth date- and sex-matched control children were randomly selected from the Finnish Population Registry. At least three weight measurements from the first year of life were obtained for 435 full-term diabetic subjects and 386 control subjects from well-baby clinics and school health care units. Increase in body weight was greater in the diabetic girls than in the control girls, and the difference increased from 111 g (95% CI 0-218, P = 0.04) at 1 month of age to 286 g (95% CI 123-450, P = 0.0006) at 7 months. For boys, the difference in weight between the diabetic subjects and the control subjects remained stable during infancy (difference 95 g, 95% CI-2-205, P = 0.09). Increased weight was associated on average with a 1.5-fold risk of type 1 diabetes. Early introduction of formula feeding (< 3 vs. > or = 3 months) was also associated with an increased risk of type 1 diabetes after adjustment for the individual weight gain curve (adjusted odds ratio 1.53, 95% CI 1.1-2.2). No evidence for interaction was observed. These observations indicate that an early exposure to cow's milk formula-feeding and rapid growth in infancy are independent risk factors of childhood type 1 diabetes.