Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Oct 29;17(21):7931.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17217931.

Complementary Feeding: Pitfalls for Health Outcomes

Enza D'Auria  1 , Barbara Borsani  1 , Erica Pendezza  1 , Alessandra Bosetti  1 , Laura Paradiso  1 , Gian Vincenzo Zuccotti  1 , Elvira Verduci  1
Affiliations
Review

Complementary Feeding: Pitfalls for Health Outcomes

Enza D'Auria et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The term complementary feeding is defined as the period in which a progressive reduction of breastfeeding or infant-formula feeding takes place, while the infant is gradually introduced to solid foods. It is a crucial time in the infant's life, not only because of the rapid changes in nutritional requirements and the consequent impact on infant growth and development, but also for a generation of lifelong flavor preferences and dietary habits that will influence mid and long-term health. There is an increasing body of evidence addressing the pivotal role of nutrition, especially during the early stages of life, and its link to the onset of chronic non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and allergic diseases. It is clear that the way in which a child is introduced to complementary foods may have effects on the individual's entire life. The aim of this review is to discuss the effects of complementary feeding timing, composition, and mode on mid and long-term health outcomes, in the light of the current evidence. Furthermore, we suggest practical tips for a healthy approach to complementary feeding, aiming at a healthy future, and highlight gaps to be filled.

Keywords: complementary feeding; dietary habits; health outcomes; healthy growth; infant nutrition; obesity; prevention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Suggested composition of the infant’s first meal and health outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Koletzko B. The power of programming: Developmental origins of health and disease. Am. J. Clin. 2011;94:1747S. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.002691. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Koletzko B., Brands B., Poston L., Godfrey K., Demmelmair H. Symposium on ‘Metabolic flexibility in animal and human nutrition’ Session I: Early nutrition programming, life performance and cognitive function. Early nutrition programming of long-term health. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 2012;71:371–378. doi: 10.1017/S0029665112000596. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Koletzko B., Brands B., Chourdakis M., Cramer S., Grote V., Hellmuth C., Kirchberg F., Prell C., Rzehak P., Uhl O., et al. The Power of Programming and the Early Nutrition project: Opportunities for health promotion by nutrition during the first thousand days of life and beyond. Ann. Nutr. Metab. 2014;64:187–196. doi: 10.1159/000365017. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Koletzko B. Early nutrition and its later consequences: New opportunities. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 2005;569:1–12. doi: 10.1007/1-4020-3535-7_1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Singhal A., Lucas A. Early origins of cardiovascular disease: Is there a unifying hypothesis? Lancet. 2004;363:1642–1645. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16210-7. - DOI - PubMed