Excessive weight gain in exclusively breast-fed infants
Insights
Exclusive breastfeeding is linked to lower childhood obesity, but this study identified exclusively breastfed infants with excessive weight gain. Variations in maternal breast milk composition may influence infant growth patterns.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Human Nutrition
- Infant Health
Background:
- Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for infant nutrition.
- Observational studies link it to reduced childhood obesity.
- This study investigates exclusively breastfed infants with excessive weight gain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe characteristics of exclusively breastfed obese infants.
- To identify factors contributing to unusual infant weight gain.
- To explore maternal, infant, and feeding pattern influences.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive, prospective cross-sectional study.
- Followed exclusively breastfed infants with excessive weight gain (2003-2015).
- Analyzed maternal, infant, feeding patterns, and breast milk macronutrients.
Main Results:
- 73 infants studied; 63% were girls.
- 100% had weight-for-height SDS >2 by 12 months.
- Lower fat content found in analyzed breast milk samples.
Conclusions:
- Inter-individual variations in maternal milk composition may impact infant growth.
- Further research is needed to understand these variations.
- This challenges assumptions about exclusive breastfeeding and obesity risk.
Background:
Breastfeeding is recommended as the best source of nutrition in the first months of life and observational studies have associated exclusive breastfeeding with decreased weight gain and a protective effect against obesity in childhood. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of a cohort of exclusively breastfed obese infants to determine factors that may lead to this unusual weight gain.
Methods:
Infants seen between 2003 and 2015 who were exclusively breastfed and showed excessive weight gain in the first year of life were followed with a focus on features of the mother, the child, feeding patterns and the presence of concomitant factors that influence nutritional status. Additionally, in a subset of the sample, macronutrients of the maternal breast milk were analyzed. A descriptive, prospective cross-sectional study was conducted.
Results:
Of 73 patients, 63% were girls. At 3 months of life, 64% had a weight-for-height standard deviation score (SDS) >2. At 6 and at 12 months, 100% of the patients had a weight-for-height >2 SDS. The mean age at semisolid-food introduction was 7 months. The mean age at weaning was 15.8 months. The babies were fed on demand and no hunger-satiety pattern was observed. In the breast milk samples analyzed, a significantly lower fat content was found.
Conclusions:
The results of our study lead to the assumption that inter-individual variations in mother's milk composition may affect the growth patterns of children.
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