Effect of Nutrition in the First Two Years of Life on Body Composition of Preschool-Aged Children

Abstract

Background Feeding and growth during infancy have been associated with later life body mass index and early excessive weight gain is associated with obesity later on. This study aimed to assess the effect of feeding in the first two years of life on the body composition of children at the preschool age and detect the importance of using bioelectrical impedance (BIA) analysis in identifying individuals at risk of overweight and obesity. Methods A cross-sectional study included 160 children. Data was collected on personal history and nutritional history in detail, body composition analysis was done by a scale measuring the amount of fat, protein, water, and minerals in the body to identify individuals at-risk of overweight and obesity. Results The percentage of infants with a normal BMI was significantly lower in the formula-fed group (40.9%) vs. the breastfed (71.1%) and mixed-feeding groups (50.9%). Regarding the type of first food introduced, the cereal group has a higher percentage (70.4%) of infants categorized as "normal" weight, and the dairy products have a higher percentage (31.4%) of infants categorized as obese. However, there were no significant differences in total body composition or BMI evaluation according to the timing of the first food introduced. Finally, as regards the prognostic performance of BIA, the cut-off point for body fat mass is ≥5.2, and it has a high sensitivity of 85.71% and a specificity of 89.69%. Conclusion Body composition is affected by the type of feeding and the type of first food introduced. Body fat mass is a good predictor for discriminating between overweight and normal BMI individuals.