Protein intake at 9 mo of age is associated with body size but not with body fat in 10-y-old Danish children

Abstract

Background: During the complementary feeding period, infants shift from a daily protein intake (PI) of approximately 1 g/kg body wt to an intake 3-4 times as high. A high PI probably has both endocrine and physiologic effects and may increase the risk of obesity.

Objective: We examined the associations between PI in infancy and body size and composition in late childhood.

Design: We conducted an observational cohort study of 142 Danish healthy term infants (63 boys) born during 1987-1988. At 9 mo of age, diet, weight, length, skinfold thicknesses, insulin-like growth factor I, and serum urea nitrogen were determined. At 10 y of age, 105 children (51 boys) participated in a follow-up study. Diet, weight, height, skinfold thicknesses, percentage of body fat (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), insulin-like growth factor I, and serum urea nitrogen were determined.

Results: At 9 mo of age, PI (in g/d and percentage of energy) was strongly correlated with body size (length and weight) but not with measures of adiposity. PI at 9 mo of age was positively associated with height and weight but not with percentage of body fat at 10 y of age. Inclusion of parental body size in the models did not change the associations, but the significant associations were attenuated when body size at 9 mo of age was included.

Conclusions: PI in infancy seems to stimulate early growth. This might explain part of the association between early PI and body size at 10 y of age, but a continuous effect of protein on growth during childhood cannot be excluded. PI in infancy was not associated with any measure of body fat at 10 y of age.