Energy intake in early infancy and childhood fatness.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether aspects of infant energy intake are related to fatness in early childhood.


METHODS
Longitudinal investigation of infants studied at 12 weeks and 2-3.5 y.


METHODS
20 healthy infants, breast-fed or formula-fed, from the general population.


METHODS
Milk volume intake (MVI) by deuterium turnover, estimated energy intake, weaning status and body composition in infancy, body composition in childhood.


RESULTS
MVI was not related to infant skinfolds or percentage fat. Weaning was inversely related to MVI (P < 0.04) at 12 weeks, and inversely related to skinfolds (P = 0.055) and fat mass (P = 0.020) in childhood. MVI and total energy intake were not related to childhood fatness.


CONCLUSIONS
Early weaning was associated with a moderate reduction in childhood fatness. Two possible mechanisms are discussed. However, early infant energy intake was not an important determinant of later fatness in this population.
Wells
J C
JC
Infant and Child Nutrition Group, Dunn Nutrition Unit, Cambridge, UK.
Stanley
M
M
Laidlaw
A S
AS
Day
J M
JM
Davies
P S
PS
D000375:Aging; D001823:Body Composition; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002149:Energy Intake; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007225:Infant Food; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008895:Milk, Human; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D014886:Weaning