Organic Food Consumption During the Complementary Feeding Period and Respiratory or Allergic Diseases Up to Age 5.5 Years in the ELFE Cohort

Clinically Relevant Topics and New Tendencies in Childhood Nutrition during the First 2 Years of Life: A Survey among Primary Care Spanish Paediatricians

A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among 245 experienced Spanish paediatricians, who completed an online survey based on clinically relevant topics in nutrition during the first two years of life and their recommendations to parents in daily clinical practice. Most participants advise about the choking risk associated with baby-led weaning (BLW) and more than 60% consider that infants can receive an insufficient variety and quantity of nutrients with this practice. The general opinion is that there is a lack of evidence for delaying the introduction of gluten and other allergenic foods in the complementary feeding of healthy infants. Most participants agree/strongly agree that two servings of dairy products are the adequate daily amount in a diversified diet and 93.4% disagree/strongly disagree with the use of vegetal beverages under 1 year of life. There is a general agreement to avoid added salt and sugar before 12 months of life, the consideration that organic foods do not have a better nutritional profile than non-organic ones, and the limitations of vegetarian diets especially for adequate provision of micronutrients. Overall, there is an adequate knowledge of the new trends by paediatricians and younger ones seemed more in favor of them and interested in receiving more information on most topics.

Infant feeding practices and body mass index up to 7.5 years in the French nationwide ELFE study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

The infant diet represents one of the main modifiable determinants of early growth. This study aimed to investigate the associations of infant feeding practices with body mass index (BMI) until 7.5 years.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Analyses were based on data from the French nationwide ELFE birth cohort. Data on breastfeeding (BF) and complementary feeding (CF) were collected monthly from 2 to 10 months. Infant feeding practices were characterized using principal component analyses (PCA) and hierarchical ascendant classification. BMI z-score was computed at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7.5 years, from data collected in the child's health booklet; 7.5-year overweight was defined according to IOTF references. Associations between infant feeding practices and BMI were investigated by linear regression models adjusted for main confounders.

RESULTS

Ever breastfeeding was not associated with BMI up to 7.5 years. Compared to intermediate breastfeeding duration (1 to <3 months), longer breastfeeding duration (≥6 months) was related to lower 1-year BMI, but not at older ages. Compared to the recommended age at CF introduction (4-6 months), early CF (<4 months) was related to higher BMI up to 5 years with a similar trend at 7.5 years, but not to the risk of overweight. The PCA patterns characterized by early baby cereal introduction and late food pieces introduction or by frequent intake of main food groups were related to a lower BMI up to 7.5 years.

CONCLUSION

Breastfeeding was related with a lower BMI in infancy but not thereafter, whereas an early CF initiation (<4 months) was associated with a higher BMI in childhood.

The effects of organic food on human health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based studies

CONTEXT

Although the nutritional composition of organic food has been thoroughly researched, there is a dearth of published data relating to its impact on human health.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aimed to examine the association between organic food intake and health effects, including changes in in vivo biomarkers, disease prevalence, and functional changes.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception through Nov 13, 2022.

DATA EXTRACTION

Both observational and interventional studies conducted in human populations were included, and association between level of organic food intake and each outcome was quantified as "no association," "inconsistent," "beneficial correlation/harmful correlation," or "insufficient". For outcomes with sufficient data reported by at least 3 studies, meta-analyses were conducted, using random-effects models to calculate standardized mean differences.

DATA ANALYSIS

Based on the included 23 observational and 27 interventional studies, the association between levels of organic food intake and (i) pesticide exposure biomarker was assessed as "beneficial correlation," (ii) toxic metals and carotenoids in the plasma was assessed as "no association," (iii) fatty acids in human milk was assessed as "insufficient," (iv) phenolics was assessed as "beneficial", and serum parameters and antioxidant status was assessed as "inconsistent". For diseases and functional changes, there was an overall "beneficial" association with organic food intake, and there were similar findings for obesity and body mass index. However, evidence for association of organic food intake with other single diseases was assessed as "insufficient" due to the limited number and extent of studies.

CONCLUSION

Organic food intake was found to have a beneficial impact in terms of reducing pesticide exposure, and the general effect on disease and functional changes (body mass index, male sperm quality) was appreciable. More long-term studies are required, especially for single diseases.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022350175.

Complementary feeding practices are related to the risk of food allergy in the ELFE cohort

BACKGROUND

Conflicting results have been obtained when analyzing the relationship between complementary feeding (CF) practices and allergic diseases in childhood. This study aims to further explore the association between allergic diseases in early childhood (10.1016/j.jaci.2012.02.036) and the age at CF introduction (10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00149-X), food diversity in the first year of life (10.1016/j.ijporl.2019.109759) and the delayed introduction of major allergenic foods.

METHODS

This analysis focused on 6662 children from the French nationwide ELFE cohort. Data on feeding practices were collected monthly from 3 to 10 months old. Their age at CF introduction was calculated alongside a diversity score, and the number of major allergenic foods (out of eggs, fish, wheat, and dairy products) not introduced at 8 and 10 months. Their associations with parent-reported allergy-related health events between 1 and 5.5 years were assessed using logistic regressions adjusted for confounding factors. A sensitivity analysis excluding early allergic cases (occurring between 2 months and 1 or 2 years) was conducted.

RESULTS

Late CF (>6 months) was related to a higher risk of food allergy (OR [95% CI] = 1.35 [1.02; 1.78]), a low diversity score at 8 months to a higher risk of asthma (OR [95% CI] = 1.22 [1.01; 1.48]), and two allergenic foods or more not being introduced at 10 months to a higher risk of rhinoconjunctivitis (OR [95% CI] = 1.20 [1.00; 1.44]) and food allergy (OR [95% CI] = 2.46 [1.77; 3.42]). Only this last association remained significant after the exclusion of early cases.

CONCLUSION

The delayed introduction of major allergenic foods is related to a higher risk of food allergy, which supports the updated guidelines for allergy prevention.

Assessment of Breastfeeding, Weaning, and Complementary Feeding Practices Among Women Attending a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in South India

Introduction

Infants depend exclusively on mothers’ milk for nutrition in their early months of life. However, some infants are given cow/buffalo milk during insufficiency. After six months, the children are supplemented with complementary food, including solid food, to meet the nutritional requirements of a growing infant, a process known as weaning. Therefore, it is important for mothers to have a clear understanding of the nature of food, and the nutritional requirements of the children. This study aimed to understand the knowledge, awareness, and practice of breastfeeding, weaning, and complementary feeding among women.

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire-based observational study was carried out between May and June 2021. The study included 150 women attending the outpatient department of pediatrics attached to Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS), Vikarabad, Telangana, India. After taking the informed consent, the researcher filled out a pre-validated questionnaire based on the subjects' responses. The data regarding socio-demographic details and information regarding knowledge, timing, practices of weaning, knowledge of nutritional requirements, and child feeding practices were collected as a pre-test. An educational briefing of the essentials of child feeding practices, weaning, and dietary requirements was undertaken using chalk and board and audio-visual aids, among others. In the post-test, the knowledge of mothers regarding weaning practices, the importance of weaning, and understanding of the nutritional requirements and their inclusion in a child’s diet was assessed. The quantitative data were represented as percentages. The Chi-square test was applied to find out the statistical significance of the results obtained from the study.

Results

Of the 150 women who participated in the study, the majority belonged to the age group of 18-23 years (66.7%). Most women were illiterate (34%) and only 12% were graduates. More than 70% of the participants belonged to the middle and lower middle class. The majority of participants (96.7%) had carried out exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, and 63.35% of mothers had initiated weaning their child between the age of 6-12 months. Only 37.4% of mothers started breastfeeding within hours after the delivery. A combination of all foods (36%), rice/wheat (29%), processed food (18.8%), fruits and vegetables (9.2%), and pulses (6.7%) were chosen for weaning. Many felt that eggs and meat supplementation can be done between 12-18 months.

Conclusion

The knowledge of breastfeeding and best practices of weaning and complementary feeding habits significantly affects the child’s growth and overall health. The women in this study had a moderate level of understanding regarding the aspects of breastfeeding, weaning practices, and complementary dietary requirements during weaning.