Skip to main content
NUTRITION 2024 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Back

Session: Feeding the Future: Infant Feeding Practices (Oral 13)

(OR13-03-24) Body Composition Differs in Infants Consuming Different Protein-Rich Complementary Diets Using Doubly Labeled Water: An Ongoing Randomized Controlled Trial

Sunday, June 30, 2024
10:24 AM – 10:36 AM CT
Location:  W375A
Objectives: To determine changes in body composition and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) in infants consuming different protein-rich foods during early complementary feeding.

Methods: This ongoing randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of dietary patterns with common protein-rich foods on growth and body composition during early complementary feeding in both breast- and formula-fed infants. Five-month-old infants are randomized to one of four complementary diets (three different protein-rich foods and an ad lib group) from 5 to 12 months of age. Infants are matched for sex, mode of delivery and mode of feeding using stratified randomization. Infants were given a dose of doubly labeled water (0.1 g/kg 99% enriched 2H2O and 0.3 g/kg 10% enriched H218O) via oral administration. Daily urine samples were collected for 7 days and analyzed for 18O and 2H enrichment by Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS, Los Gatos Research Inc, Mountain View CA). Fat-free mass was then obtained from total body water ÷ age/hydration factor (79%). CO2 production was converted to total energy expenditure using Weir’s equation. Because the trial is ongoing, group assignment is blinded for this preliminary report.

Results: A subgroup of N=48 at baseline and N=40 at 12 months who completed the doubly labeled water assessments were included in the analysis. Body composition (26.8±11.3%) or energy expenditure (502±100 kcal/d) did not differ by sex, maternal BMI or mode of feeding at baseline. Formula-fed (FF, n=15) infants had a higher %body fat at 12 months (33.9±11.0%) than breastfed (BF, n=25) infants (22.0±23.8%, P=0.07) without differences at baseline (BF 27.9±26.8%; FF 24.5±11.3%, P=0.51). %body fat did not differ at baseline between complementary feeding groups (one-way ANOVA P=0.45). At 12 months, there was a significant group effect (one-way ANOVA P=0.04) and post hoc analysis showed that the one group (15.9±8.0%) had a lower %body fat compared with the other three groups (24.8±11.1%; 31.0±9.4%; 25.5±10.7%).

Conclusions: Liquid diet (BF vs. FF) and complementary foods differentially affect infant body composition changes.

Funding Sources: NIDDK, Mead Johnson Nutrition, CCTSI