Association between timing of maternal energy consumption and adiposity in breastfeeding infants: A prospective cohort study

Background

Lactating women's food intake timing may play a critical role in maternal and infant nutrition health. We aimed to examine associations of breastfeeding mothers' diet quantity and circadian timing of food intake with subsequent weight status of exclusively breastfed infants over a 6-month period.

Methods

This prospective observational study comprised pairs of healthy singleton breastfed infants and their corresponding healthy lactating mothers. Reported food intake times and diet content were used to define maternal eating patterns infant body mass index-for-age z scores (BAZs) at birth, 2 and 6 months. Association of maternal eating pattern with alterations in infant BAZ gain and nutritional status at age 6 months were investigated in multiple regression analyses.

Results

Compared with maternal daytime eating, maternal nighttime eating was linked to a greater increase in infantile BAZ from ages 2 to 6 months (adjusted β = 0.49; 95% CI, 0.05–0.92; P = 0.03) and a heightened likelihood of being overweight at age 6 months (adjusted odds ratio = 3.81; 95% CI, 1.41–6.63; P = 0.01) after adjusting for factors including maternal age, education level, household income, parity, pregestational body mass index, BAZ at 2 months, total daily energy consumption, and the percentages of energy derived from macronutrients.

Conclusion

Disruption of rhythmic physiology from irregular eating habits can lead to circadian misalignment, which may result in abnormal weight gain in infants and an increased likelihood of being overweight in the early postnatal period. Circadian alignment is fundamental for regulating women-infant dyads health.