Relationship between lipid profile, anthropometric indicators, and appetite-regulating hormones in infants according...

Background: infants receiving full breastfeeding (FBF) regulate their appetites differently from those receiving human milk substitutes (HMS). In addition, early exposure to the dietary cholesterol in human milk could lead to better cholesterol regulation in later stages of life. Therefore, the purpose was to compare lipid profiles in 4-month-old infants and to correlate lipid profile with anthropometric indicators and appetite-regulating hormones according to the type of feeding. Methods: this was a cross-sectional and correlational study, which included 145 mother-infant dyads according to the type of feeding; 64 received FBF, 47 partial breastfeeding (PBF), and 34 HMS. The complete lipid profile, total ghrelin, leptin, peptide YY, and glucagon-like peptide type 1 were measured. Z-scores for weight/age, length/age, weight/length, triceps (TSF) and subscapular folds (SSF) and body mass index for age were also obtained. Results: there were significant differences in triglycerides and LDL cholesterol according to the type of feeding. In the HMS group, an inverse relationship was observed between ghrelin and triglycerides (p = 0.038), ghrelin and total cholesterol (TC) (p = 0.026), and peptide YY and HDL cholesterol (p = 0.017). In the PBF group, a direct relationship was observed between length/age (z) and triglycerides (p = 0.001) and between subscapular folds and TC (p = 0.049). In infants receiving HMS, a direct correlation was observed between weight/age (z) and TC (p = 0.045) and between length/age (z) and LDL cholesterol (p = 0.010). Conclusion: these findings show a relationship between growth, energy reserve, lipid profile, and modulation of appetite-regulating hormones according to the type of feeding they received.