Breastfeeding in Infancy and Food Intake in Preschool-Aged Children

Overview

The purpose of this study is to compare female, preschool-aged children breastfed during infancy to female, preschool-aged children bottle-fed during infancy in their ability to adjust calorie intake in response to internal signals of hunger and fullness. Children and a parent will come to two sessions, with the children given drinks that are either high or low in energy, and then consume a lunch following the drink. The parent will be present during the lunch. Greater ability to self-regulate intake is demonstrated when less energy is consumed at lunch following the high energy drink as compared to the lunch following the low energy drink. Lunches will be videotaped so that parental feeding styles (i.e., how the parent interacted with the child during lunch) can be examined. The primary hypotheses are: 1.) the exclusively breastfed children will have higher self-regulation ability than the exclusively bottle-fed children, and 2.) the mothers of the exclusively breastfed children will demonstrate a parental feeding style characterized by less control and restriction than the mothers (or parent primarily responsible for child feeding) of the exclusively bottle-fed children.

Research reports that children who were breastfed as infants have a decreased risk of becoming obese. However, it is not clear how breastfeeding may prevent the development of obesity. Breastfeeding may support the maintenance of sensitivity to internal hunger/fullness cues, which helps with self-regulating energy intake. Additionally, breastfeeding may facilitate the development of a parental feeding style low in control or restriction. This type of feeding style is also associated with greater ability to self-regulate energy intake. Bottle-feeding shifts feeding control to parents, and may lead to a parental feeding style high in control or restriction, impairing children's self-regulation abilities. The aims of this study are to determine in females aged 3-5 years if: 1.) breastfed children have greater energy self- regulation capabilities; 2.) parents of breastfed children demonstrate a parental feeding style characterized by less control or restriction; and 3.) children with the greatest energy self-regulation capabilities were breastfed and have parents with feeding styles lowest in control or restriction. It is hypothesized that female, preschool-aged children breastfed and/or parented with a feeding style low in control or restriction self-regulate intake better than females not breastfed and/or parented with a feeding style high in control or restriction. A within-subjects, counterbalanced design, using a standard preloading paradigm, will measure children's ability to self-regulate intake to preloads of differing energy densities. Children and a parent will participate in two trials, with children consuming preloads high and low in energy followed by a lunch in which energy intake is measured. Lunch will be videotaped so parental feeding style during the child's lunch can be coded for restriction and control. Results will provide information about potential mechanisms by which breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity and obesity related diseases in children.