1. Control of intake by human-milk-fed infants: Relationships between feeding size and interval
- Author
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Leann L. Birch, R. J. Matheny, and Mary Frances Picciano
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Food intake ,Milk intake ,Satiety Response ,Behavioral Neuroscience ,Feeding behavior ,Animal science ,Developmental Neuroscience ,Internal medicine ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,medicine ,Humans ,Circadian rhythm ,Meal ,business.industry ,Infant, Newborn ,Infant ,Infant nutrition ,Feeding Behavior ,Circadian Rhythm ,Breast Feeding ,Endocrinology ,Postprandial ,Sucking Behavior ,Arousal ,business ,Breast feeding ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Diurnal feeding behavior of 24 exclusively breast-fed infants was examined at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks to assess whether milk intake at a feeding was related to previous (preprandial) or subsequent (postprandial) intervals between feedings. Amount of human milk consumed per feeding and intervals between feedings were measured over a 72-hr period. Correlation analyses revealed that volume of milk ingested at a feeding (meal size) was positively related to preprandial interval at all 5 ages (r = 0.39-0.47, p less than 0.0001). Meal size was likewise related, but not as strongly, to postprandial interval at 4 of the 5 time points examined (r = 0.17-0.25, p less than 0.01). Results of the correlational analyses revealed clear, consistent preprandial correlations, providing evidence for a reactive type feeding pattern among the solely breast-fed infants. Postprandial correlations, possibly reflect an anticipatory feeding pattern, were present but remained consistently low over the 3 months examined, providing little evidence of a developmental shift. This study provides a preliminary foundation for future longitudinal studies that address the regulation of food intake among infants.
- Published
- 1990
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