Evaluation of Infant Feeding Flashcards
What is the natural biological food for a human infant?
Breast milk
When is the use of cows milk as the main drink not recommended?
Before 12 months
What is the composition of breast milk used as the basis of?
- Determining infant nutrient requirements during the first 6 months of life
- The regulations on permitted compositions of breast milk substitutes (infant formula)
What issues should be considered when using breast milk composition as the basis for recommended nutrient intake/composition of breast milk substitutes?
- Breast milk composition varies between and within mothers
- Method used to obtain breast milk samples may affect results
- Composition of EBM may differ from that of energy suckled from infant direct from breast
- Breast milk contains many bioactive substances
- Milk from different mammals varies considerably
Over what time frames does the composition of breast milk change within the same mother?
- Over the course of lactation
- During a day
- During a feed
In what respects might the methods for obtaining breast milk samples vary?
- Fore vs hindmilk
- Hand vs pump expressed
- Single vs pooled samples
What is the consequence of breast milk composition varying depending on the mother, time, and method of obtaining sample?
It is difficult to define a single reference concentration for many nutrients
What is the consequence of the composition of EBM potentially differing from breast milk suckled straight from the breast?
It has probably resulted in an overestimation of human milk, which was then applied to human formulas
Give 2 bioactive substances that breast milk contains?
- Hormones
- Growth factors
What is the limitation of breast milk containing bioactive substances when using it as a reference for infant formula?
These are difficult or impossible to mimic in infant formula
In what respect does milk from different mammals vary?
- Composition
- Configuration or quality of fat or protein
What is the consequence of milk from different mammals varying in terms of configuration or quality of fat/protein?
Infant formulas may contain the same total fat or protein concentration as human milk, but may still be significant different in type of nutrients
Give 2 examples of differences in the type of nutrients in formula milk compared to breastmilk?
- Stereo-isomeric differences in triglycerides influence fat and calcium absorption
- Different protein composition, e.g. alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, can affect growth
What is the result of the problems with trying to make formula milk resemble breast milk as closely as possible?
Recently there has been a greater focus on trying to achieve the performance (health and developmental outcomes) of breastfed infants, rather than simply trying to mimic the composition of breast milk
How can data on the effectiveness and safety of interventions regarding infant feeding be obtained?
- Observational studies
- RCTs