Early Infant Feeding and Body Composition In Pre-School Children.

A new study on the International Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health examines the association between early infant feeding and childhood adiposity.

The objective for this study was to assess the relationship between infant feeding (exclusive breastfeeding, mixed feeding and exclusive formula feeding) and childhood adiposity among pre-school children. The main hypotesis was that children who were exclusively breastfed for at least three months will have different adiposity compared to children who were mixed or formula fed.

Child’s body composition measurement were conducted using the BOD POD Pediatric Option body composition system.

The study findings suggest that "exclusive breastfeeding may be protective against body weight and obesity assessed as BMI but not fat mass or percent fat mass. There is therefore a need for adequately powered prospective studies that monitors early infant feeding practices, timing and introduction of complementary foods on weight and adiposity in later childhood."

The article details are the following:

- Title: "Early Infant Feeding and Body Composition In Pre-School Children"
- Authors: Alex K. Anderson, Christina Whitworth and Marina A. Tandoh
- Published in:International Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, 2016, 4, 16-21

The scientific article can be freely downloaded at the following link: click here