Low-protein infant formula enriched with Alpha-lactalbumin during early infancy may reduce insulin resistance at 12 months: a follow-up of a randomized controlled trialShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Nutrients, E-ISSN 2072-6643, Vol. 16, no 7, article id 1026
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
High protein intake during infancy results in accelerated early weight gain and potentially later obesity. The aim of this follow-up study at 12 months was to evaluate if modified low-protein formulas fed during early infancy have long-term effects on growth and metabolism. In a double-blinded RCT, the ALFoNS study, 245 healthy-term infants received low-protein formulas with either alpha-lactalbumin-enriched whey (α-lac-EW; 1.75 g protein/100 kcal), casein glycomacropeptide-reduced whey (CGMP-RW; 1.76 g protein/100 kcal), or standard infant formula (SF; 2.2 g protein/100 kcal) between 2 and 6 months of age. Breastfed (BF) infants served as a reference. At 12 months, anthropometrics and dietary intake were assessed, and serum was analyzed for insulin, C-peptide, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Weight gain between 6 and 12 months and BMI at 12 months were higher in the SF than in the BF infants (p = 0.019; p < 0.001, respectively), but were not significantly different between the low-protein formula groups and the BF group. S-insulin and C-peptide were higher in the SF than in the BF group (p < 0.001; p = 0.003, respectively), but more alike in the low-protein formula groups and the BF group. Serum IGF-1 at 12 months was similar in all study groups. Conclusion: Feeding modified low-protein formula during early infancy seems to reduce insulin resistance, resulting in more similar growth, serum insulin, and C-peptide concentrations to BF infants at 6-months post intervention. Feeding modified low-protein formula during early infancy results in more similar growth, serum insulin, and C-peptide concentrations to BF infants 6-months post intervention, probably due to reduced insulin resistance in the low-protein groups.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
MDPI, 2024. Vol. 16, no 7, article id 1026
Keywords [en]
alpha-lactalbumin, body mass index, CGMP, childhood obesity, IGF-1, infant formula, infant growth, infant nutrition, insulin, low-protein
National Category
Nutrition and Dietetics Pediatrics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-223643DOI: 10.3390/nu16071026ISI: 001201557500001PubMedID: 38613059Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85190492425OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-223643DiVA, id: diva2:1853980
2024-04-242024-04-242025-02-11Bibliographically approved