<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Infants experience rapid growth and development during their first year of life. The objective of the study was to investigate the early dietary habits of Latvian infants and their relation to iron metabolism. The study was composed of Study A “Research on eating habits of infants living in Latvia” (n = 344) and Study B “Research on the association between eating habits of infants living in Latvia and iron metabolism” (n = 73). 89% of infants (n = 18) were breastfed (BF) in the first month, and 21% (n =15) were exclusively BF for the first six months. The average age for introducing complementary food was five months. Iron intake was on average 7.4 mg. Iron deficiency (ID) was in 9.6% (n = 7) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in 4.1% (n = 3) of infants. The blood iron level was lower in 30% (n = 8) of infants fed with cow’s milk. For infants who obtained iron predominantly from non-animal products, serum ferritin (SF) was within normal range. SF was within the normal range for 93% (n = 26) of infants who did not consume legumes. Dietary habits of infants in Latvia partly correspond to the guidelines. 63% of infants did not consume enough iron from food and ID was observed in 9.6% of infants and IDA in 4.1%. A lower iron level in blood occurred in breastfed infants and in infants for whom cow’s milk was introduced at an early stage; a lower mean corpuscular volume level was observed in infants whose exclusive breast-feeding continued for at least the first four months; lower SF occurred in breastfed infants, in at least the first four months for exclusively breastfed infants, and in infants for whom whose legumes had been introduced in diet. A higher level of soluble transferrin receptors was observed in infants who were not first-born.</p>
</abstract>

Infants experience rapid growth and development during their first year of life. The objective of the study was to investigate the early dietary habits of Latvian infants and their relation to iron metabolism. The study was composed of Study A “Research on eating habits of infants living in Latvia” (n = 344) and Study B “Research on the association between eating habits of infants living in Latvia and iron metabolism” (n = 73). 89% of infants (n = 18) were breastfed (BF) in the first month, and 21% (n =15) were exclusively BF for the first six months. The average age for introducing complementary food was five months. Iron intake was on average 7.4 mg. Iron deficiency (ID) was in 9.6% (n = 7) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in 4.1% (n = 3) of infants. The blood iron level was lower in 30% (n = 8) of infants fed with cow’s milk. For infants who obtained iron predominantly from non-animal products, serum ferritin (SF) was within normal range. SF was within the normal range for 93% (n = 26) of infants who did not consume legumes. Dietary habits of infants in Latvia partly correspond to the guidelines. 63% of infants did not consume enough iron from food and ID was observed in 9.6% of infants and IDA in 4.1%. A lower iron level in blood occurred in breastfed infants and in infants for whom cow’s milk was introduced at an early stage; a lower mean corpuscular volume level was observed in infants whose exclusive breast-feeding continued for at least the first four months; lower SF occurred in breastfed infants, in at least the first four months for exclusively breastfed infants, and in infants for whom whose legumes had been introduced in diet. A higher level of soluble transferrin receptors was observed in infants who were not first-born.

Early Eating Habits in Infants and Their Association with Iron Metabolism

Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Section B. Natural, Exact, and Applied Sciences.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Early Eating Habits in Infants and Their Association with Iron Metabolism"}

Infants experience rapid growth and development during their first year of life. The objective of the study was to investigate the early dietary habits of...

Early Eating Habits in Infants and Their Association with Iron Metabolism

Publicado en línea: 03 mar 2022

Páginas: 42 - 51

Recibido: 22 mar 2021

Aceptado: 17 nov 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/prolas-2022-0007

Palabras clave
nutrition, breastfeeding, eating habits, iron deficiency

© 2022 Inga Elksne et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Early Eating Habits in Infants and Their Association with Iron Metabolism

Publicado en línea: 03 mar 2022

Páginas: 42 - 51

Recibido: 22 mar 2021

Aceptado: 17 nov 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/prolas-2022-0007

Palabras clavenutrition, breastfeeding, eating habits, iron deficiency

© 2022 Inga Elksne et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Palabras clave
nutrition, breastfeeding, eating habits, iron deficiency