The study evaluates the the utility of a non-invasive skin measurement as a biomarker of infant food intake during complementary feeding.
RATIONALE: During infancy, children go from consuming primarily breast milk or formula, to consuming a variety of baby foods and table foods. Doctors, researchers, and community health workers are interested in knowing what foods infants eat, but since many infants have multiple adult caregivers, it can be hard for one caregiver to accurately recall the dietary pattern of the infant. A rapid, non-invasive biomarker of food intake in infants could serve as a useful monitoring tool. PURPOSE: In order to develop a non-invasive measure of infant food intake, the association between infant dietary patterns, skin carotenoids, and blood carotenoids will be evaluated at 4, 6, and 8 months of age. OUTLINE: Infants will visit the research center at 4, 6, and 8 months of age for length, weight, skinfold thickness, and skin colorant measures. An infant blood sample will be collected at each visit and lactating mothers will be asked to provide a breast milk sample. The caregiver will complete a food survey at each visit, will keep an infant food diary for a week at 4, 6, and 8 months of age, and will enter the food diaries into an online survey 3 times during each of the diary weeks.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
21
USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States
Duration of Skin Carotenoid Score Measurements- 4 Month Olds.
Time required to measure skin carotenoid score in 4 month olds. Units: seconds Scale: \>0 seconds Interpretation: Lower numbers indicate faster, more favorable durations for measurements. Range: 35-158 s
Time frame: 1 day each
Infant Plasma Carotenoid Concentration, 4 Months.
Infant Plasma Total Carotenoid Concentration, 4 months.
Time frame: 1 day
Total Carotenoid Intake, 4 Month Olds
Total Carotenoid Intake per day, 4 month olds, assessed by 7 day food diary
Time frame: 7 days
Skin Carotenoid Scores in 4 Month Olds.
Skin carotenoid scores in 4 month olds. Scale: 0-800 skin carotenoid score units. Interpretation: Greater numbers indicate a greater, theoretically more favorable, skin carotenoid concentration than lower scores. Range: 14-215
Time frame: Measurements collected at the visit held when participants were 4 months of age.
Time Required for Carotenoid Score Measurement, 6 and 8 Month Olds.
Time Required for skin carotenoid score measurement, 6 and 8 month olds. Units: Seconds Scale: \>0 Interpretation: Smaller durations indicate a more feasible, favorable duration Range: 37s - 133s
Time frame: Measurements conducted at the study visit held at either 6 months of age of 8 months of age.
Time Required for Skin Carotenoid Score Measurement, 6 and 8 Month Olds.
Time Required for Heel Skin Carotenoid Score Measurement, 6 and 8 Month Olds.
Time frame: Measurements conducted at the study visit held at either 6 months of age of 8 months of age.
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Skin Carotenoid Scores in 6 and 8 Month Olds.
Skin carotenoid scores in 6 and 8 month olds. Units: skin carotenoid score units on a scale Scale: 0-800 Interpretation: Greater numbers indicate a greater, theoretically more favorable, skin carotenoid concentration than lower scores. Range: 40-324
Time frame: Single day at either 6 months of age of 8 months of age.
Skin Carotenoid Scores in 6 and 8 Month Olds
Skin carotenoid scores in 4 month olds. Unit: Skin Carotenoid Score Scale: 0-800 skin carotenoid score units Interpretation: Greater numbers indicate a greater, theoretically more favorable, skin carotenoid concentration than lower scores. Range: 59-200
Time frame: Single day at either 6 months of age of 8 months of age.
Daily Total Carotenoid Intake, 6 and 8 Month Olds
Total Carotenoid Intake per Day (average) Units: micrograms Scale: \>0 micrograms Range: 100 - 7660
Time frame: 7 days prior to the visits held at 6 months of age and at 8 months of age.