Excessive Weight Gain Followed by Catch-Down in Exclusively Breastfed Infants: An Exploratory Study.
Melanie W Larsson, Mads V Lind, Anni Larnkjær, Anette P Due, Irina C Blom, Jonathan Wells, Ching T Lai, Christian Mølgaard, Donna T Geddes, Kim F Michaelsen
Author Information
Melanie W Larsson: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark. mela@kp.dk. ORCID
Mads V Lind: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark. madslind@nexs.ku.dk.
Anni Larnkjær: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark. ala@nexs.ku.dk.
Anette P Due: Department of Nursing and Nutrition, University College Copenhagen, Sigurdsgade 26, 2200 N, Copenhagen, Denmark. adue@kp.dk.
Irina C Blom: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark. icb@science.ku.dk.
Jonathan Wells: UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford St, London WC1N 1EH, UK. jonathan.wells@ucl.ac.uk.
Ching T Lai: School of molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley WA 6009, Australia. ching-tat.lai@uwa.edu.au. ORCID
Christian Mølgaard: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark. cm@nexs.ku.dk.
Donna T Geddes: School of molecular Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley WA 6009, Australia. donna.geddes@uwa.edu.au.
Kim F Michaelsen: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark. kfm@nexs.ku.dk.
Some infants experience excessive weight gain (EWG) during exclusive breastfeeding, but causes and consequences are unknown. The objective was to identify factors associated with early EWG. Infants with EWG (HW-group) were examined at 5, 9 and 18 mo and compared to a breastfed group with normal weight gain (NW-group). Anthropometry, body composition, milk and blood samples, and milk intake were measured. Mean body-mass-index-for-age -scores (BAZ) increased 1.93 from birth to 5 mo in the HW-group ( = 13) while the NW-group ( = 17) was unchanged (-0.01). The HW-group had 70% more fat mass at 5 mo, and then showed marked catch-down in BAZ from 5 to 18 mo (-0.84). Milk intake at 5⁻6 mo did not differ between the groups. In the HW-group milk-leptin was lower at 5 mo and serum-leptin was considerably higher at 5 and 9 mo compared to the NW-group. Serum-leptin at 5 mo was positively associated with weight-for-age -score (WAZ) and fat mass and negatively with WAZ change from 5 to 9 mo. In conclusion, breastfed infants with EWG had catch-down growth when other foods were introduced. Low milk-leptin in the HW-group may have stimulated appetite and milk intake when weight gain was high. High serum-leptin in the HW-group suggests early leptin resistance, which could impact cerebral regulation of energy intake. Larger studies are needed to confirm these results.
