Effect of breastfeeding compared with formula feeding on infant body composition: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Gale, Chris P; Logan, Karen; Santhakumaran, Shalini; Parkinson, James; Hyde, Matthew; Modi, Neena

doi:10.4016/39335.01

Cited by 60 publications

(107 citation statements)

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“…Breast-fed infants also exhibit different body composition trajectories than formula-fed infants during the first 6 mo (65)(66)(67). This difference is more complicated than the differences in weight gain trajectories.…”

Section: The In Utero Environmentmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Another study (N = 76) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for body composition assessment found exclusively breast-fed infants (for $4 mo) to have higher percentage of fat mass at 3 and 6 mo compared with formula-fed infants (67). A meta-analysis comparing body composition patterns among HM-fed versus formula-fed infants in the first year of life was recently published (65). Although the criteria defining breast-fed in these studies was heterogeneous, the results indicated that differences in body composition trajectories between breast-and formula-fed infants are complex and change over time (65).…”

Section: The In Utero Environmentmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Biological Determinants Linking Infant Weight Gain and Child Obesity: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Young

Johnson

Krebs

2012

Advances in Nutrition

123

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Childhood obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions. Excessive weight gain in infancy is associated with persistence of elevated weight status and later obesity. In this review, we make the case that weight gain in the first 6 mo is especially predictive of later obesity risk due to the metabolic programming that can occur early postpartum. The current state of knowledge regarding the biological determinants of excess infant weight gain is reviewed, with particular focus on infant feeding choice. Potential mechanisms by which different feeding approaches may program the metabolic profile of the infant, causing the link between early weight gain and later obesity are proposed. These mechanisms are likely highly complex and involve synergistic interactions between endocrine effects and factors that alter the inflammatory and oxidative stress status of the infant. Gaps in current knowledge are highlighted. These include a lack of data describing 1) what type of infant body fat distribution may impart risk and 2) how maternal metabolic dysfunction (obesity and/or diabetes) may affect milk composition and exert downstream effects on infant metabolism. Improved understanding and management of these early postnatal determinants of childhood obesity may have great impact on reducing its prevalence.

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Section: The In Utero Environmentmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: The In Utero Environmentmentioning

confidence: 97%

Biological Determinants Linking Infant Weight Gain and Child Obesity: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Young

Johnson

Krebs

2012

Advances in Nutrition

123

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“…Diet also seems to have a marked effect. In a meta-analysis of 15 studies, Gale et al (28) showed that breastfed, compared with formula-fed, infants gained more fat during the first 6 mo of infancy and less fat during the second 6 mo of life. It is likely that differences and changes in protein intake over time play a role in these changes in body fat composition.…”

Section: Body Composition and Igf-imentioning

confidence: 98%

Protein needs early in life and long-term health

Michaelsen¹,

Greer²

2014

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

148

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The objective of this review was to summarize selected health aspects of protein intake during the first 2 y of life. During this period there is a marked increase in protein intake from an intake of ∼ 5% of energy from protein (PE%) in an exclusively breastfed infant to ∼ 15 PE% when complementary foods have been introduced. At this age, mean protein intake is ∼ 3 times as high as the physiologic requirement, but some children receive 4-5 times their physiologic requirement. Protein from cow milk constitutes a main part of protein intake in toddlers and seems to have a specific effect on insulin-like growth factor I concentrations and growth. Meat has a high protein content, but the small amounts of meat needed to ensure good iron status have less impact on total protein intake. The difference in protein intake between breastfed and formula-fed infants is likely to play a role in the difference between breastfed and formula-fed infants. There is emerging evidence that high protein intake during the first 2 y of life is a risk factor for later development of overweight and obesity. It therefore seems prudent to avoid a high protein intake during the first 2 y of life. This could be accomplished by decreasing the upper allowable limit of the protein content of infant formulas for the first year of life and limiting the intake of cow milk in the second year of life.

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“…Subsequently, five meta-analyses have confirmed that breastfeeding is associated with approximately 20% lower risk of obesity [summarized in [12][13][14][15], an effect size which is comparable to interventions for obesity later in life [13] and which is likely to be important for populations rather than for individual health. Compared to those formula fed, breastfed infants had lower fat mass rather than fat-free mass, a difference evident from as early as the first year of life [14].…”

Section: Early Postnatal Factors and The Prevention Of Noncommunicablmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…More recently, followup of adolescents born prematurely and randomly assigned to formula or human milk provided the first experimental evidence to show that breast milk feeding had long-term benefits for CVD risk factors such as obesity, dyslipidemia, raised blood pressure, and insulin resistance [10,11]. Subsequently, five meta-analyses have confirmed that breastfeeding is associated with approximately 20% lower risk of obesity [summarized in [12][13][14][15], an effect size which is comparable to interventions for obesity later in life [13] and which is likely to be important for populations rather than for individual health. Compared to those formula fed, breastfed infants had lower fat mass rather than fat-free mass, a difference evident from as early as the first year of life [14].…”

Section: Early Postnatal Factors and The Prevention Of Noncommunicablmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Global Epidemic of Noncommunicable Disease: The Role of Early-Life Factors

Singhal

2014

International Nutrition: Achieving Millennium Goals and Beyond

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The rapid increase in prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is probably the most important global health problem of the 21st century. Already in every region except Africa, NCDs account for greater mortality than communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions combined. Although modifiable lifestyle behaviors in adult life are the main risk factors, substantial evidence now suggests that factors in early life also have a major role in the development of NCDs. For instance, breastfeeding and a slower pattern of infant weight gain have been shown to reduce the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes in both low-income and high-income countries. The mechanisms involved are poorly understood, but include epigenetic changes and resetting of endocrine systems that affect energy metabolism and appetite. These early life factors may interact with and exacerbate the detrimental effects of a sedentary lifestyle and energy-dense diets later in life. As a consequence, the impact of early-life factors on long-term health may be particularly important in low- and middle-income countries, which face the fastest increases in urbanization and greatest changes to lifestyle. Strategies to optimize infant nutrition could therefore make a major contribution to stemming the current global epidemic of NCD.

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Effect of breastfeeding compared with formula feeding on infant body composition: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Cited by 60 publications

References 0 publications

Biological Determinants Linking Infant Weight Gain and Child Obesity: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Biological Determinants Linking Infant Weight Gain and Child Obesity: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Protein needs early in life and long-term health

The Global Epidemic of Noncommunicable Disease: The Role of Early-Life Factors

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