Energy intake and expenditure of free-living, lactating Colombian women in an urban setting

Abstract

Objectives:To examine the components of energy balance during lactation in a population of economically disadvantaged women in an urban developing country setting in order to better understand the metabolic response to lactation. Design. Cross-sectional comparison of lactating (LACT) and non-pregnant non-lactating (NPNL) women. Body size and composition were assessed via anthropometry, energy intake was measured using estimated diet records and energy expenditure using indirect calorimetry and the Flex-Heart Rate method. Setting: Low-income neighborhoods of Cali, Colombia. Subjects: Lactating women (n ¼ 15) studied at 2.4 AE 0.8, 5.5 AE 0.8 and 8.9 AE 1.2 months postpartum, and NPNL women (n ¼ 48) studied in three measurement rounds at 0, 3.5 AE 0.6 and 7.1 AE 1.0 months. Results: There were no significant differences between LACT and NPNL women in anthropometric dimensions, but LACT women showed decreases in waist -hip ratio, lean body mass and increases in mid-arm circumference and percentage body fat with time. Energy intake was higher in LACT women (P ¼ 0.04), but there were no significant between-group differences in energy expenditure variables. Conclusion: This group of women met the cost of lactation principally via increased energy intake.

Variation in maternal strategies during lactation: The role of the biosocial context

“…These results are not surprising considering our life history pattern and consequent flexibility in meeting the energy costs of lactation and are comparable to the variation found in other studies of lactational energetics (Butte et al, 1997;Dufour et al, 2002;Goldberg et al, 1991;Guillermo-Tuazon et al, 1992;Panter-Brick, 1993;Sadurskis et al, 1988;Schutz et al, 1980;Singh et al, 1989;van Raaij et al, 1991;Vinoy et al, 2000). However, unlike other studies of lactational energetics, this paper focused on intra-population variation in energetic strategies and the factors that influenced it.…”

“…The greatest variation in dietary intake was observed among rural Amazonian women (Piperata and Dufour, 2007) and the least was found among a sample of British women (Goldberg et al, 1991). Variation in energy expenditure was highest among poor, urban women living on the outskirts of Cali, Colombia (Dufour et al, 2002), while the least amount of variation was found among a sample of women from the Netherlands (van Raaij et al, 1991). In general, greater variation was observed among women in rural and urban settings in developing countries.…”

“…As was the case in this current study, subsistence strategies, adherence to cultural norms and household characteristics, including economics and the availability of social support, may also explain some of the variation in dietary intakes and energy expenditure patterns observed among women in these other settings. In fact, the two studies that include contextual data (Dufour et al, 2002;Panter-Brick, 1993) indicate that household-level factors may have been important. The Cali women showed the highest amount of variation in energy expenditure which may be related to variation in their employment status.…”

“…The Cali women showed the highest amount of variation in energy expenditure which may be related to variation in their employment status. According to Dufour et al (2002), some of the women did not participate in incomeearning activities. Those who did had jobs that ranged from childcare to street vending.…”

Diet, energy expenditure, and body composition of lactating Ribeirinha women in the brazilian amazon

“…Of those that have, most are focused on women in developed countries (Brewer et al, 1989;Butte et al, 1999;Forsum et al, 1992;Goldberg et al, 1991;Sadurskis et al, 1988;van Raaij et al, 1991) or among women in urban settings in developing nations (Dufour et al, 2002;Madhavapeddi and Roa, 1992;Piers et al, 1995). Generally, these studies have shown that women in urban and (or) more affluent conditions tend to meet their additional energy needs by increasing their dietary energy intakes.…”