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Nutrition in the First 1000 Days

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2018) | Viewed by 31720

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Therese O’Sullivan

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Guest Editor

School of Medical and Health Science, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Building 21, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Dr, Joondalup WA 6027, Australia
Interests: paediatric nutrition; breastfeeding; infant feeding; dairy fat
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A baby’s first 1000 days of life provide a unique window of opportunity.

From conception to two years of age, nutrition plays a vital role in children’s immune function, health, development, and even learning potential—not just at this time, but also into the future. Pregnancy nutrition, breastfeeding, introduction of solids, and exposure to healthy foods are all important nutritional aspects during this time.

Nutrition in pregnancy can affect aspects such as placenta function and birth weight, and may even influence a baby’s later taste preferences. We continue to learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding and how to assist women in achieving their breastfeeding goals. Early childhood nutrition is linked to obesity and some chronic diseases. The first 1000 days are also an important time for the development of the child’s gut microbiome and risk of allergic disease.

This Special Issue seeks papers on topics related to early life nutrition, including conception, pregnancy, infant feeding and child nutrition. By learning more about the opportunity presented by this time period, we can better target interventions to improve children’s futures.

Dr. Therese O’Sullivan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Conception nutrition
Nutrition in pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Introduction of solids
Early childhood nutrition
Childhood allergy
Toddler fussy eating

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Agreement between Future Parents on Infant Feeding Intentions and Its Association with Breastfeeding Duration: Results from the Growing Up in New Zealand Cohort Study

by Emma J. Marks, Cameron C. Grant, Teresa Gontijo De Castro, Dinusha K. Bandara, Clare Wall and Susan M. B. Morton

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(6), 1230; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15061230 - 11 Jun 2018

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3541

Abstract

Maternal intentions are believed to have the strongest influence on infant feeding. However, what has rarely been studied, are the associations of maternal and partner intentions, and the influence these factors have on infant feeding. Our objective was to describe breastfeeding intentions of pregnant women and their partners, agreement about these intentions, and whether this agreement is associated with breastfeeding initiation and duration. This study was completed within the Growing Up in New Zealand study. Agreement between mothers and partners on intended initial infant feeding method was fair (κ = 0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17–0.25) as was intended breastfeeding duration (κ = 0.25, 95% CI 0.22–0.28). Infants whose parents agreed antenatally on breastfeeding only were more likely to have been breastfed for >6 months, after adjustment for maternal (odds ratio (OR) = 6.3, 95% CI 3.9–10.2) and partner demographics (OR = 5.7, 95% CI 3.6–9.2). Likewise, infants whose parents agreed antenatally to breastfeed for >6 months were more likely to have been breastfed for >6 months, after adjustment for maternal (OR = 4.9, 95% CI 3.9–6.2) and partner demographics (OR = 5.0, 95% CI 4.0–6.3). Interventions that promote breastfeeding to both mothers and partners which enable parents to reach agreement about intended feeding methods have the potential to increase both breastfeeding initiation and duration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in the First 1000 Days)

11 pages, 450 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Dietary Protein Intake, Breast Feeding and Growth in Human Milk Fed Preterm Infants

by Emma Tonkin, Jacqueline Miller, Maria Makrides, Andrew J. McPhee, Scott A. Morris, Robert A. Gibson and Carmel T. Collins

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(6), 1196; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15061196 - 7 Jun 2018

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3873

Abstract

Protein intakes of preterm infants are frequently below recommendations, but few studies report accurate intakes due to the difficulty of analysing human milk clinically. This observational analysis from a randomised trial of infants born <31 weeks’ gestation, investigating two levels of protein fortification, reports protein intakes compared with requirements and determines the association of direct breastfeeding on growth. Ninety-two infants (median gestational age 28 weeks, Interquartile range (IQR) 26–29; mean birth weight 1040 g, SD 300 g) were studied. Infants born weighing <1000 g were underfed protein compared with recommendations (median (IQR) intake of 3.0 (2.0–3.7) g/kg/day in week 2 versus recommendation of 4–4.5 g/kg/day), while those born weighing ≥1000 g met recommended protein intakes after the first week of life (median (IQR) intake of 3.7 (3.0–4.0) g/kg/day in week 2 versus recommendation of 3.5–4.5 g/kg/day). A moderate, negative correlation between the mean number of breast feeds and change in rate of weight gain (r = −0.37, p = 0.001) was found. Protein intakes of infants <1000 g did not meet recommendations and all infants were underfed protein and energy in the first week of life. Current protein fortification is inadequate for infants born <1000 g. Exploratory analysis showed faltering rate weight gain associated with increasing number of breast feeds and these results warrant confirmation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in the First 1000 Days)

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9 pages, 992 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Glucose Gel as a Potential Alternative Treatment to Infant Formula for Neonatal Hypoglycaemia in Australia

by Raenee L. Barber, Amy E. Ekin, Pushparani Sivakumar, Kay Howard and Therese A. O’Sullivan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(5), 876; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15050876 - 27 Apr 2018

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6200

Abstract

Infant formula is often used as a treatment for neonatal hypoglycaemia in Australia; however, there are concerns that this may jeopardise mother-baby bonding and breastfeeding. Successful use of glucose gel as an alternative treatment for hypoglycaemia has been reported. We wanted to investigate in a pilot study whether the use of glucose gel has the potential to quickly and safely restore normoglycaemia in the infants of diabetic mothers in an Australian setting. Infants with asymptomatic hypoglycaemia were treated with glucose gel (n = 36) and compared to a historical group of infants which had been treated with infant formula (n = 24). Within 15 min of the first treatment, the gel group had a mean blood glucose level (BGL) of 2.6 mmol/L, and 2.7 mmol/L 30 min after the second treatment. This was lower than the BGL after the first treatment for the formula group, which rose to a mean of 2.8 then to 3.2 mmol/L after the second treatment (p = 0.003). In successfully treated infants, administration of the gel resulted in normoglycaemia within 30 min. The likelihood of special care nursery admission was not significantly different between the groups, although we had a small sample size, and our findings should be interpreted with caution. These pilot results provide support for further investigations into the use of glucose gel as an alternative treatment to infant formula. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in the First 1000 Days)

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14 pages, 367 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Duration of Breastfeeding, but Not Timing of Solid Food, Reduces the Risk of Overweight and Obesity in Children Aged 24 to 36 Months: Findings from an Australian Cohort Study

by Sarah Bell, Sarah Siau Yi Yew, Gemma Devenish, Diep Ha, Loc Do and Jane Scott

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(4), 599; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15040599 - 26 Mar 2018

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 7017

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether breastfeeding duration and the timing of solid food were independently associated with being overweight or obese in early childhood. Subjects were 953 children participating in the Study of Mothers and Infants Life Events Affecting Oral Health (SMILE) birth cohort study, based in Adelaide, Australia. Socio-demographic information and data on breastfeeding duration and age of introduction of solid food were collected at birth, 3, 4, 6, 12, and 24 months via mailed or online questionnaires completed by mothers. The weight and height of children were measured at a dental examination when children were aged between 24 and 36 months. Body mass index was calculated, and children were categorised into weight groups according to the World Health Organization growth standards. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted, adjusting for maternal age at birth, education, socio-economic status, pre-pregnancy weight, smoking in pregnancy, method of delivery, and child’s birthweight. Risk of overweight/obesity was independently associated with maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, smoking in pregnancy, and birthweight. Children that were breastfed for 12 months or more had a significantly lower risk of being overweight/obese than those breastfed for less than 17 weeks (AOR 0.49; 95%CI 0.27, 0.90; p for trend =0.009). Age of introduction of solid food, however, was not associated with the risk of being overweight/obese at 24 to 36 months. This study provides further evidence of an inverse relationship between breastfeeding and risk of overweight/obesity, however, no association with the timing of solid food was detected. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in the First 1000 Days)

19 pages, 2907 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Food Sources of Energy and Macronutrient Intakes among Infants from 6 to 12 Months of Age: The Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) Study

by Shan-Xuan Lim, Jia-Ying Toh, Linde Van Lee, Wee-Meng Han, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek, Kok-Hian Tan, Fabian Yap, Keith M. Godfrey, Yap-Seng Chong and Mary Foong-Fong Chong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(3), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030488 - 10 Mar 2018

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5464

Abstract

Adequate nutrition during complementary feeding is important for the growth, development and well-being of children. We aim to examine the energy and macronutrient intake composition and their main food sources in a mother–offspring cohort study in Singapore. The diets of infants were assessed by 24 h dietary recalls or food diaries collected from mothers when their offspring were 6 (n = 760), 9 (n = 893) and 12 (n = 907) months of age. Food sources of energy and macronutrients were determined using the population proportion methodology. Energy intakes per day (kcal; mean (standard deviation, SD)) of these infants were 640 (158) at 6 months, 675 (173) at 9 months, and 761 (208) at 12 months. Infant formula, breastmilk and infant cereals were the top three food sources of energy and macronutrient intakes in infants through the period 6 to 12 months. Other main energy and carbohydrate sources at 9 and 12 months of age were rice porridge, infant biscuits and fresh fruits, while fish, red meat and eggs were the other main protein and total fat sources. Breast-fed and mixed-fed infants had a more varied diet as compared to formula-fed infants. Formula-fed infants had consistently higher protein and lower total fat consumption compared to those who were breastfed. An understanding of these main food sources during complementary feeding can inform local dietary recommendations and policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in the First 1000 Days)

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Review

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8 pages, 268 KiB

Open AccessReview

Protein Intake during the First Two Years of Life and Its Association with Growth and Risk of Overweight

by Minghua Tang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(8), 1742; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081742 - 14 Aug 2018

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 4912

Abstract

Growth patterns early in life could exert a long-term impact on overweight and obesity development. Among all potential manipulative factors, infant diet is one of the most influential and could affect growth and subsequent health status during adolescence and adulthood. Dietary protein, as an important macronutrient in infants’ diet, has been of special interest to researchers. Compared with human milk, infant formula tends to have a higher protein content and is associated with greater weight gain and later-in-life obesity risk. However, the effect of protein from other sources on infant growth trajectories during complementary feeding is not clear. Emerging research suggests that meat protein during early complementary feeding promotes linear growth while not increasing risk of overweight compared with dairy protein; and the gut microbiota might be a mediator between protein quality and growth trajectories. This review addresses the current knowledge of protein intake from birth to 24 months and its relationship with growth and risk of overweight. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition in the First 1000 Days)

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