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Solid food timing in infancy appears unrelated to childhood obesity
The age an infant is first introduced to solid foods does not influence whether the child will go on to have obesity by age 6 years, according to recent study findings.
“Findings of an association between early introduction to solids and childhood obesity are difficult to determine, given that when solid foods are introduced is inextricably linked to exclusive breast-feeding duration and formula feeding; therefore, residual confounding cannot be ruled out,” Chloe M. Barrera, MPH, of the division of nutrition, physical activity and obesity at the CDC, and colleagues wrote. “The differences found among studies regarding the influence of breast-feeding status on timing and subsequent obesity may be linked to variations in study design, categorizations of infant feeding, and definitions of terms such as ‘starting solids.’”
Barrera and colleagues analyzed data from 1,181 infants (50.1% girls) who participated in the Infant Feeding Practice Study II, conducted between 2005 and 2007, and the cross-sectional Year 6 Follow-Up study, conducted in 2012. To limit recall bias, mothers completed monthly questionnaires with 7-day food recalls throughout infancy, regarding the timing of introduction of solid foods and breast-feeding duration. Researchers measured the primary exposure and timing of solid food introduction (younger than 4 months, aged 4 to 6 months or older than 6 months) and obesity at age 6 years (BMI > 95th percentile), using multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between when solid foods were introduced and obesity at age 6 years.
Within the cohort, 12% of children had obesity at age 6 years. In unadjusted analyses, researchers found that odds of obesity at age 6 years was higher in infants introduced to solid foods before age 4 months vs. those introduced to solid foods at age 4 to 6 months (OR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.15-2.4); however, results did not persist after adjustment for covariates, including age, race, maternal education, poverty-to-income ratio, prepregnancy BMI, marital status and parity (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 0.79-1.77). Researchers found no link between childhood obesity and introducing solid foods after age 6 months, and found no interaction between breast-feeding duration, early solid food introduction and childhood obesity.
The researchers noted that child obesity at age 6 years was based on measurements of height and weight taken by the mother, which may be susceptible to measurement error.
“Despite our findings, optimal infant feeding practices, including exclusive breast-feeding for approximately the first 6 months, timely introduction of complementary foods and continued breast-feeding for at least the first year, should be promoted and supported for all infants because of the numerous health benefits for infants and mothers,” the researchers wrote. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.