The Regulation of Energy Intake in Infancy: A Narrative Review

To examine evidence for factors that program and impact regulation of energy intake in infancy.

Infants regulate energy intake within a narrow margin, and this capacity may degrade with age as volume-based regulation emerges. However, feeding frequency, milk/formula protein content and/or structure, portion size, and caregiver encouragement can interrupt this regulation. Emerging evidence also suggests that some infants exhibit signs of reward-driven eating, which may also affect energy intake. Despite emphasis on obesity prevention in infancy, few studies directly examine milk/formula, food, or energy intake and even fewer use experimental methods to assess causation. Existing experimental evidence suggests a limited and diminishing regulation of energy intake through infancy and beyond. More research is needed to understand individual differences between infants in regulation of energy intake and propensity for reward-driven eating.