Breast-feeding vs formula-feeding for infants born small-for-gestational-age: divergent effects on fat mass and on circulating IGF-I and high-molecular-weight adiponectin in late infancy.
BACKGROUND
Fetal growth restraint, if followed by rapid weight gain, confers risk for adult disease including diabetes. How breast-feeding may lower such risk is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE, STUDY PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTION, OUTCOMES: In infants born small-for-gestational-age (SGA), we studied the effects of nutrition in early infancy (breast-feeding vs formula-feeding; BRF vs FOF) on weight partitioning and endocrine markers in late infancy. Body composition (by absorptiometry), fasting glycemia, insulin, IGF-I, and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin were assessed at 4 and 12 months in BRF controls born appropriate-for-GA (N = 31) and in SGA infants receiving BRF (N = 48) or FOF (N = 51), the latter being randomized to receive a standard formula (FOF1) or a protein-rich formula (FOF2).


METHODS
The study was conducted in a University Hospital.


RESULTS
SGA-BRF infants maintained a low fat mass and normal levels of IGF-I and HMW adiponectin. In contrast, SGA-FOF infants normalized their body composition by gaining more fat; this normalization was accompanied by a marked fall in HMW adiponectinemia and, in FOF2 infants, by elevated IGF-I levels. In late infancy, SGA-BRF infants were most sensitive to insulin, even more sensitive than appropriate-for-GA-BRF controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Because the health perspectives are better for SGA-BRF than for SGA-FOF infants, the present results suggest that FOF for SGA infants should aim at maintaining normal IGF-I and HMW-adiponectin levels rather than at normalizing body composition. Nutriceutical research for SGA infants may thus have to be redirected.
Department of Reproduction, Development, and Regeneration, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Francis
F
de Zegher
Giorgia
G
Sebastiani
Marta
M
Diaz
María Dolores
MD
Gómez-Roig
Abel
A
López-Bermejo
Lourdes
L
Ibáñez
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000254:growth & development; D001823:Body Composition; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007223:Infant; D041943:Infant Formula / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000254:growth & development; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors
C499918:ADIPOQ protein, human; D052242:Adiponectin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I