Body composition changes in the first 6 months of life according to method of feeding
Maria Lorella Giannì1, Paola Roggero, Anna Orsi
11Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Clinical Science and Community Health, Fondazione IRCCS "Ca' Granda" Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Italy.
Background:
Early feeding choices may affect long-term health outcomes. Therefore, understanding body composition changes in healthy breastfed infants has become an important research focus.
Objectives:
The aims of this review were to investigate the body composition changes that occur during weight loss in breastfed term newborns and to examine body composition differences between exclusively/predominantly breastfed and exclusively formula-fed infants in the first 6 months of life.
Methods:
We performed a review of the existing literature using PubMed. We searched for studies published in English since January 1, 2000, that involved human infants ranging in age from birth to 6 months. We used the following MEDLINE Medical Subject Headings: ((breastfeeding) OR (infant formula)) AND ((body composition) OR (bioelectrical impedance) OR (absorptiometry, photon) OR (total body potassium) OR (isotope dilution) OR (air-displacement plethysmography)). Our search yielded 6 studies.
Results:
Two studies reported that newborn weight loss was due to a reduction in the quantity of both fat mass and fat-free mass. Three out of 4 articles that evaluated body composition changes according to method of feeding reported no differences in body composition between exclusively/predominantly breastfed and exclusively formula-fed infants in the first 4.5 months of life. One study reported that exclusively breastfed infants at 3 months of age and exclusively breastfed boys at 6 months of age had higher fat mass contents compared to exclusively formula-fed infants.
Conclusion:
Because of the limited number of studies available, larger studies are needed to clarify the differences in body composition between exclusively/predominantly breastfed and exclusively formula-fed infants.
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