Introduction Of Supplementary Feeding Research Articles

Adapted goat’s milk formula as an alternative to standard cow’s milk formula in healthy infants and in the presence of symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort

If mothers eat a balanced diet, their breast milk provides their babies with the high-quality nutrients essential for their growth, development and preservation of health. However, the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation finds that the percentage of infants that are breastfed at 3 to 6 months of age is 43.9% and at 6 to 12 months is 39.2%. At the same time, the average duration of exclusive breastfeeding is only 1 month as compared to 6 months recommended by the World Health Organization, predominant breastfeeding duration is 4 months, and the total duration is 10.6 months. There are a number of reasons and circumstances why an infant is deprived of mother’s milk. But the introduction of supplementary feeding or transition of an infant fully to formula feeding should be rigorously justified. The review presents current data on the composition of goat’s milk formula line. It noted its unique physicochemical properties as compared to the standard cow’s milk formulas. The effectiveness and benefits of using a goat’s milk formula have been shown not only in healthy infants, but also in the presence of minimal functional gastrointestinal symptoms. It highlights the features of the unique fat component of the modern goat’s milk formula with DigestX® lipid complex based on a vegetable oil complex using triglycerides of specific structure, which brings the product composition closer to the fatty-acid profile of the breast milk. The article also speaks about the structural individualization of goat milk: the predominance of low-molecular-weight proteins, low or zero levels of αS1-casein, the absence of β-A1-casein, the presence of oligosaccharides and relatively high natural levels of some vitamins and minerals.

Clinical and anamnestic characteristics of children with gastrointestinal food alergy

Summary. The prevalence of food allergy is increasing, especially among children. The clinical manifestations of food allergy are different, they depend on the mechanisms of pathogenesis. There is a need to improve diagnostic criteria and early diagnosis of gastrointestinal manifestations of food allergy. Objective. Evaluation of gastrointestinal manifestations in children with food allergies. Materials and methods. Clinical and anamnestic data of 29 children (12 girls, 17 boys) with gastrointestinal manifestations and food allergy were analyzed. Results. Most often, gastrointestinal manifestations of food allergies were found in children aged 4 to 7 years (55.17%, 16/29). Epigastric pain (62.07%, 18/29), meteorism (24.14%, 7/29), undecorated stool with undigested food particles and mucus (27.59%, 8/29%) were most common among children with food allergies. The onset of gastrointestinal intolerance by the age of 6 months was in 44.8% (13/29) of children, 76.9% (10/13) of whom were exclusively breastfed. The first gastrointestinal manifestations after the introduction of supplementary feeding were in 20.69% (6/29); 10.34% (3/29) of patients had gastrointestinal complaints from 3 years of age, and 6.9% (2/29) of patients from 7 years of age. Gastrointestinal disorders as the first manifestation of allergic "march" was observed in 20.69% (6/29%) of patients. IgE-mediated food allergy was found in 72.41% (21/29) of the examined children: immediate gastrointestinal hypersensitivity - 65.51% (19/29); oral allergic syndrome - 6.89% (2/29). Non-IgE-mediated food allergy is represented by protein-induced enterocolitis and proctosigmoiditis in 27.58% (8/29) of children. Conclusions. Clinical symptoms of gastrointestinal manifestations of food allergy in children depend on the immunological mechanisms of its occurrence, it should be taken into during of diagnostic. Gastrointestinal food allergy should be diagnosed in time to prevent the evolution and progression of allergic "march". Therefore, it is necessary to develop and search methods and markers for timely diagnosis of these conditions.

Can management buffer pasture loss and fragmentation for Sami reindeer herding in Sweden?

Today, climate change and competing land use practices are threatening rangelands around the world and the pastoral societies that rely on them. Reindeer husbandry practised by the indigenous Sami people is an example. In Sweden, approximately 70% of the most productive lichen pastures (important in winter) has been lost, either completely or because of a reduction in forage quality, as a result of competing land use (primarily commercial forestry). The remaining pastures are small and fragmented. Yet, the number of reindeer in Sweden shows no general decline. We investigated the strategies that have allowed reindeer herders to sustain their traditional livelihood despite a substantial loss of pastures and thus natural winter forage for their reindeer. Changes in harvest strategy and herd structure may partially explain the observed dynamics, and have increased herd productivity and income, but were not primarily adopted to counteract forage loss. The introduction of supplementary feeding, modern machinery, and equipment has assisted the herders to a certain extent. However, supplementary feeding and technology are expensive. In spite of governmental support and optimized herd productivity and income, increasing costs provide low economic return. We suggest that the increased economical and psychosocial costs caused by forage and pasture losses may have strong effects on the long-term sustainability of reindeer husbandry in Sweden.

Modelling survival rates in the Cape Griffon Gyps coprotheres, with emphasis on the effects of supplementary feeding

Survival rates are crucial demographic parameters for modelling the population dynamics of the Cape Griffon vulture. Previous survival estimates based on ring recoveries are seriously flawed and have been heavily criticized. To provide better estimates, 97 nestlings were individually colour-ringed in the winterrainfall region of South Africa from 1979 to 1987 and an intensive resighting campaign was mounted for 17.5 years (1980 to mid-1997). Although survival rate is known to vary with age, particularly in the first few years of life, this study indicates that it is also a function of calendar year. Supplementary food was provided for the study population from 1984 onwards and there was a concomitant increase in the survival rate of first-year birds. Eighty generalized linear models were built to estimate survival rate as a function of age, calendar year, cohort and supplementary feeding. First-year survival rate was estimated as 42.3% per annum (95% limits: 29–56%), increasing to 68.9% (54–81%) after the introduction of supplementary feeding. Age-specific survival rates were 88.8% per annum (77–95%) in the second year, 78.7% (64–88%) in the third year and 67.6% (58–76%) for birds aged four years or more. Our survival estimates are higher than previous values and have greater reliability because they are based on direct observations of known-age birds. The loss of colourrings is a serious impediment to estimating survival among older birds and the technique described here was not used to estimate adult survival.

Breastfeeding practices in northeastern Brazil

Of 87 children followed up during a longitudinal study of infant health and feeding practices in a small city in northeastern Brazil, only 1 in 10 were still receiving breastfeeding exclusively at the age of 1 month. Their mothers were interviewed to identify factors influencing early introduction of supplementary feeding. The mothers appeared to believe that they themselves were insufficiently well‐nourished to be able to provide breast milk of good quality and sufficient volume to satisfy the babies. Mothers‐in‐law, mothers and husbands played not insignificant roles in decisions about the feeding of young babies. On the basis of the findings of this study, recommendations are made to encourage delay in the introduction of supplementary feeding in this setting.

Prolonged breastfeeding without the introduction of supplementary feeding.

A study on the determinants of nutritional marasmus (NM) and kwashiorkor (K) was conducted using Sudanese children aged 6-36 months. The hypotheses tested were related to the specific circumstances leading to the development of NM and K. Subjects consisted of 55 children with NM and 55 with K, admitted to the Children's Emergency Hospital in Khartoum. This paper presents the results of the association between NM and prolonged breastfeeding without introduction of supplementary feeding between the ages of 6 and 24 months. Mothers were interviewed in hospital, and information on duration of breastfeeding, age at introduction of supplementary foods, and weaning foods was obtained. Observations were made in 20 per cent of homes of study children. The results suggest a positive association between prolonged breastfeeding without introduction of supplementary feeding between the ages of 6 and 24 months, and NM. Using multivariate analysis the data show that late introduction of supplementary foods produces an increase of 1.4-fold the odds of developing nutritional marasmus, rather than kwashiorkor. In contrast the odds ratio is 1.9 for the two conditions in terms of age of cessation of breastfeeding, the kwashiorkor children breastfeeding for fewer months. Results suggest strategies to reduce the prevalence of NM and K, plus mild and moderate PEM.

The Butajira Rural Health Project in Ethiopia: a nested case-referent (control) study of under-5 mortality and its health and behavioural determinants

The associations between under-5 mortality and its health and behavioural determinants were investigated in a rural district of Ethiopia, by means of a concurrent case-referent technique nested within a study-base population established in 1987. Three-hundred and six infant and child deaths registered over a period of 1 year, were contrasted with 612 controls, matched for age, sex and study area. Data were collected by trained non-medical workers using a structured questionnaire. Breastfeeding and supplementary feeding came out as strongly protective against under-5 mortality, even when controlling for parental and environmental determinants. Early termination of breastfeeding was demonstrated to have a substantial impact on mortality, particularly on that caused by diarrhoea. Late introduction of supplementary feeding, particularly of protein origin, was also associated with increased under-5 mortality. When the relative impacts of parental, environmental and behavioural determinants are compared, the greater impact of parental factors can be demonstrated, especially among infants.

Breast-feeding pattern in an urban Nigerian community.

SummaryThe paper examines the pattern of breast-feeding among women still in their prime childbearing ages (15–35 years) in Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara state in Nigeria. While breast-feeding is still a common practice among urban women, there is wide variation in the duration of breast-feeding depending on the socioeconomic characteristics of the mothers. Mother's education and father's education have very strong negative associations with duration of breast-feeding. Use of contraception also has a significant independent but negative effect on breast-feeding duration. Christians continue breast-feeding for shorter periods than Muslims. The introduction of supplementary feeding to the infant occurs in this population much earlier than is recommended by various authorities. The dangers inherent in this pattern of infant feeding are discussed.

Effect of breastfeeding status on prolactin secretion and resumption of menstruation

This study investigated prospectively the effect of supplementary breast feeding on the duration of lactational amenorrhoea and serum prolactin levels during prolonged breast feeding in a group of 34 Australian mothers. Although supplementary feeding correlated statistically with the decline in mean serum prolactin levels and the subsequent resumption of menstruation, critical analysis of the data revealed that serum prolactin levels were declining with time before the introduction of supplementary feeding. It was concluded that the resumption of menstruation during prolonged lactational amenorrhoea is associated with the introduction of supplementary infant feeding, but other factors may be more important in this process. The good correlation between the decline in serum prolactin levels and the return of cyclic ovarian activity in individual mothers suggests that measurement of serum prolactin level may be a useful predictive index for returning fertility during breast feeding.

Variation in the wheat intake of individual sheep measured by use of labelled grain: behavioural influences

A preliminary experiment with sheep in pens demonstrated that wheat grain could be labelled with tritiated water so that when fed it could provide data that would allow accurate calculation of individual feed consumption. This techinque was used with two groups of sheep fed supplementary wheat grain in paddocks. Half of the animals had previous experience of grain feeding some eight months earlier and the others had not eaten grain. Individual diversity of intake could be estimated usefully by tritium labelling of wheat, which was fed to the sheep in a group. The experiment showed that there was a threefold difference in the amount of wheat eaten between the lowest and highest intakes. Further, animals with previous experience of grain feeding consumed the entire ration initially, but those without previous experience did not consume all of the ration until two weeks after wheat feeding began. Over the period of measurement the experienced sheep consumed about 13% more wheat than the non-experienced group. There were insufficient aggressive acts to establish a dominance hierarchy in either group, although the experienced sheep were more aggressive than the others. Aggressiveness by one sheep towards other sheep did not result in higher wheat intakes by the former compared with other sheep in the group. The results are discussed in terms of the variability in acceptance of such supplements by animals, and of the value, later in life, of early introduction of supplementary feeding.

Effect of supplementary feeding on infant growth in an aboriginal family.

SummaryThe weight charts for the six infants of a 20-year-old Aboriginal woman are examined. They all show satisfactory growth whilst being exclusively breast-fed, yet all demonstrate growth failure following the introduction of supplementary feeding. The double benefits of optimal infant growth and delay in the next conception derived from exclusive breast-feeding indicate its desirability for women in these circumstances. The problems associated with supplementary feeding and the non-utilization of family planning methods are demonstrated in the low maternal age at first pregnancy, the lack of adequate family spacing during the mother's teenage years, excessive family size and the impaired growth rate of the children.