Commercial complementary food use amongst European infants and children: results from the EU Childhood Obesity Project

Theurich, Melissa; Zaragoza‐Jordana, Marta; Luque, Verónica; Gruszfeld, Dariusz; Gradowska, Kinga; Xhonneux, Annick; Riva, Enrica; Verduci, Elvira; Poncelet, Pascale; Damianidi, Louiza; Koletzko, Berthold; Grote, Veit

doi:10.1007/s00394-019-02023-3

Cited by 30 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Commercial complementary foods (CCF), also known as industrial baby foods, contribute a large proportion of the diets of infants and toddlers in high-income countries. A recent study from the WHO European Regional office [ 1 ] reports high intakes of CCF across European countries, which coincides with studies from Germany [ 2 , 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Data from 3274 children enrolled in the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) in the United States reported that 51% of infants aged four to five months, 75% of infants aged six to eight months, and 52% of infants aged nine to eleven months consume commercial complementary cereals, also known as processed cereal based food (PCBF) [ 5 ]. In Europe, an analysis of dietary intakes of 1088 infants and children enrolled in the EU Childhood Obesity Project (CHOP) demonstrated that the most commonly consumed CCF were commercial cereals [ 2 ]. In the CHOP cohort, the median (IQR) daily energy intake from commercial cereals at six months of age was 69 kcal (25 to 126) per day, peaking at 126 kcal (73 to 177) per day at nine months of age, comprising about a third of caloric energy from all complementary foods at both time points and making up almost 100% of grain intakes at 6 months of age [ 2 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Europe, an analysis of dietary intakes of 1088 infants and children enrolled in the EU Childhood Obesity Project (CHOP) demonstrated that the most commonly consumed CCF were commercial cereals [ 2 ]. In the CHOP cohort, the median (IQR) daily energy intake from commercial cereals at six months of age was 69 kcal (25 to 126) per day, peaking at 126 kcal (73 to 177) per day at nine months of age, comprising about a third of caloric energy from all complementary foods at both time points and making up almost 100% of grain intakes at 6 months of age [ 2 ]. Commercial cereals were also the most commonly reported type of CCF at 4 months of age, demonstrating that they are among the first complementary foods introduced in European infants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Nutritional Adequacy of Commercial Complementary Cereals in Germany

Theurich¹,

Koletzko²,

Grote³

2020

Nutrients

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Commercial cereals are among the first complementary foods fed to infants in Germany and elsewhere. The purpose of this national survey is to describe the nutritional adequacy of commercial complementary cereals. A comprehensive, cross-sectional survey of cereal manufacturer websites (n = 15) was conducted from March to April 2019. Food labels were analyzed for iron, zinc, iodine, sodium, and sugar contents in commercial complementary cereals, and ingredient lists were evaluated for whole grains and added sugars. Preparation instructions were evaluated for the type of liquid recommended for reconstitution. Among 164 commercial complementary cereals, few contain iron (n = 43, 26%), zinc (n = 23, 14%) or iodine (n = 43, 26%). Sodium contents fall within EU thresholds. Most cereals were single grain, containing only wheat (n = 54), with half of the products (n = 86, 52%) containing whole grains. The average carbohydrate content of dry cereals is 69 g/100 g ± 9 g of which 14 ± 15 g is sugar. Preparation instructions for breakfast porridges and cereals recommend formula or toddler milk, while few recommend human milk (n = 13, 18%). Few commercial complementary cereals contain appreciable amounts (at least 15% of daily reference values) of zinc, iron, or iodine. A quarter of cereal carbohydrates are sugar and one-third of the products contain added sugars. Future directives should stipulate minimum micronutrient levels, strictly regulate sugar contents, and include human milk among preparation instructions.

show abstract

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Nutritional Adequacy of Commercial Complementary Cereals in Germany

Theurich¹,

Koletzko²,

Grote³

2020

Nutrients

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Infant cereals play an important role during weaning in numerous countries [ 17 , 19 , 67 , 68 ]. A reduction in sugar content and an increase in whole grains in infant cereals might be beneficial for infant health and could help to achieve recommendations for sustainable healthy diets [ 69 , 70 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Whole-Grain and Sugar Content in Infant Cereals on Gut Microbiota at Weaning: A Randomized Trial

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The introduction of complementary foods during infancy marks an important step in the development of the infant gut microbiome. Infant cereals are popular weaning foods but consistent evidence on their effect on the intestinal microbiota, especially when differing in nutritional quality, is lacking. Fecal samples from 4–7-month-old Spanish infants who consumed infant cereals differing in whole grain and sugar content as first weaning foods were analyzed on changes in microbial composition by massively parallel sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene at baseline and after 7 weeks of intervention. Samples were obtained from a previous trial conducted in Spain demonstrating whole-grain cereal acceptability. In total, samples of 18 infants consuming 0% whole grain cereals with 24 g sugar (0-WG) and 25 infants consuming 50% whole grain cereals with 12 g sugar (50-WG) were analyzed. Microbial composition changed significantly over time (p = 0.001), per intervention group (p = 0.029) and per infant (p = 0.001). Abundance of genus Veillonella increased in both groups while Enterococcus decreased. Within the 0-WG group, phylum Actinobacteria decreased along with genus Bifidobacterium. In the 50-WG, we observed an increase in Lachnoclostridium and Bacteroides. In addition, 50-WG decreased Proteobacteria and Escherichia to levels lower than 0-WG. Although weaning itself appeared to be responsible for most changes, the increased presence of anaerobic fermenters together with inhibition of pathogenic Escherichia may indicate a supporting effect of infant cereals with 50% whole grains and a reduced sugar content over infant cereals manufactured with refined hydrolyzed flours on the infant microbiota. In fact, using a novel methodology for the identification of microbial signatures, we found two groups of microbial taxa predictive of infants consuming enriched whole-grain infant cereals with a high predictive value of about 93%.

show abstract

“…En el Reino Unido, un estudio realizado en 655 madres con hijos de entre 6 y 12 meses encontró que el 57 % practicaban el BLW (15), un porcentaje muy superior al descrito en este estudio. Mientras el BLW gana protagonismo, el uso de papillas comerciales lo pierde, lo cual puede deberse a que la población cada vez conoce mejor la composición nutricional de estos preparados (altos en azúcares y sal) (16). En este estudio se ha visto que, aunque la mayoría piensa que es mejor ofrecer purés caseros, el 21 % utiliza papillas comerciales habitualmente.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified