‘Early growth’ linked to asthma

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20 January 2012 Last updated at 08:21 GMT Researchers studied over 5,000 children Babies who grow rapidly in the first three months of life may be more likely to develop asthma as children, say Dutch researchers.

They found "accelerated weight gain" was linked to a higher chance of symptoms such as wheezing.

The study of 5,125 children by the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam suggested no connection with earlier impaired growth in the womb.

Asthma UK said parents should keep following official baby-feeding advice.

The origins of asthma are still not fully understood, although many researchers believe there is some connection with the way the foetus develops and grows through pregnancy.

The study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine compared pregnancy and baby records measuring foetal and postnatal weight gain.

'Critical period'

The babies were then followed up at yearly intervals and their parents questioned about breathing symptoms, as the presence of these can be a reasonable indicator of whether or not a child will go on to develop full blown asthma.

They found that, compared with babies whose growth followed the normal pattern in the months after birth, babies who gained weight rapidly were 44% more likely to suffer wheezing, 22% more likely to have shortness of breath and 30% more likely to have persistent phlegm.

There was no apparent relationship between the fast-growing babies and being underweight in the womb.

Although routine foetal measurement can be imprecise, this suggested that the sudden weight gain was not necessarily the baby "catching up" from reduced growth in the womb.

Dr Liesbeth Dujits said that early infancy might be a "critical period" for asthma development.

She said: "We know that low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms, but the effects of specific foetal and infant growth patterns had not been examined yet.

"Our results suggest that the relationship between infant weight gain and asthma symptoms is not due to the accelerated growth of foetal growth-restricted infants only.

"While the mechanisms underlying this are unclear, accelerated weight growth in early life might adversely affect lung growth."

Leanne Metcalf, from Asthma UK, said that while the study offered more insight into the possible development of asthma, it was too early for parents to change the way they cared for their children.

"This is an interesting preliminary study, but parents should follow existing advice from health professionals when it comes to feeding their babies in the first few months.

"We know that early life does appear to influence the risk of developing asthma later on, but there are a lot of other potential factors that have to be taken into consideration."

Source BBC

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Eating solid foods early doesn't affect baby growth

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By Linda Thrasybule

NEW YORK | Wed Oct 12, 2011 11:18am EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Infants raised on formula who are introduced to solid foods before four months of age tend to gain more weight within the first year than infants who start later, a recent study suggests.

But the age at which babies were given solid foods didn't seem to influence much of their longer-term growth.

"It's not about how fast they grow, but whether the children are likely to be overweight," said Dr. Berthold Koletzko, a study co-author who studies nutrition at the Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital in Munich, Germany. "And they're not more likely to be overweight by two years if they receive solids earlier."

Researchers tracked nearly 700 European infants for two years. Infants between six and seven pounds raised on formula received solid foods starting a little over three months, between three and four months, between four and five months, or six months or later.

Babies who started solid foods at three months weighed less but caught up in growth within six months compared to those who started solid foods at six months and grew slowly within three months.

By two years, there were no differences between groups in weight or length.

Infants eating solid foods also consumed more calories during the first eight months.

Among children born at lower weights, "researchers found an association between lower birth weight and introducing solid foods earlier," said Dr. Lindsey Sjaarda, a researcher at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, who was not part of the study.

"It's something that needs to be explored. Recent research seems to indicate that catch-up growth isn't always a good thing," she told Reuters Health.

The study applies to populations in industrialized countries, where "a large fraction of children" have "already been introduced to solid foods before four months of age," according to the authors, not developing countries.

Previous studies have shown conflicting results on whether infants who start eating solid foods earlier are more likely to become obese.

Childhood obesity has tripled over the past three decades, with about 12.5 million American children and adolescents obese, according to a 2007-2008 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though Koletzko agreed that children who grow faster will demand more food, and possibly gain more weight, he didn't think they will likely become obese.

He recommended introducing solid foods when a baby shows interest by sitting up and reaching for food or opening their mouths when they see their parents eating. But he cautioned that some infants may need more calories than others.

"At this age, communication happens between infants and parents," he told Reuters Health. "They give a lot of signals to parents. But if the baby is not signaling, don't force it, just wait."

SOURCE: bit.ly/qZMqeA American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online September 14, 2011.

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