title: Effects of common illnesses on infants' energy intakes from breast milk and other foods during longitudinal community-based studies in Huascar (Lima), Peru.
abstract: To assess the effects of common infections on dietary intake, 131 Peruvian infants were observed longitudinally. Home surveillance for illness symptoms was completed thrice weekly, and food and breast-milk consumption was measured during 1615 full-day observations. Mean (+/- SD) energy intakes on symptom-free days were 557 +/- 128 kcal/d (92.4 +/- 26.5 kcal.kg-1.d-1) for infants aged less than 181 d and 638 +/- 193 kcal/d (77.7 +/- 25.7 kcal.kg-1.d-1) for infants aged greater than 180 d. Statistical models controlling for infant age, season of the year, and individual showed significant 5-6% decreases in total energy intake during diarrhea or fever. There were no changes with illness in the frequency of breast-feeding, total suckling time, or amount of breast-milk energy consumed. By contrast, energy intake from non-breast-milk sources decreased by 20-30% during diarrhea and fever, and the small decrements in total energy consumption during illness were explained entirely by reduced consumption of non-breast-milk foods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis 95616.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Stallings
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: de Kanashiro
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lopez de Romaña
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000503:physiopathology; D004435:Eating; D002149:Energy Intake; D005334:Fever / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D007239:Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008895:Milk, Human; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010568:Peru; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000503:physiopathology; D012621:Seasons; D013383:Suburban Population