Timing of the introduction of complementary feeding and risk of childhood obesity: a systematic review

The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age and continued breastfeeding until 2 years of age or beyond. Appropriate complementary foods should be introduced in a timely fashion, beginning when the infant is 6 months old. In developing countries, early or in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of Obesity 2013-10, Vol.37 (10), p.1295-1306
Main Authors: Pearce, J, Taylor, M A, Langley-Evans, S C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/443/319/1488
692/699/1702/393
692/700/1720
Age of Onset
Biological and medical sciences
Body Mass Index
Breast feeding
Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data
Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Child, Preschool
Children
Developing countries
Educational Status
Energy Intake
Epidemiology
Europe - epidemiology
Feeding Behavior
Female
Food
General aspects
Guideline Adherence
Health aspects
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Humans
Infant
Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Infants
Internal Medicine
LDCs
Male
Malnutrition
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Metabolic Diseases
Obesity
Obesity in children
Pediatric Obesity - epidemiology
Pediatric Obesity - prevention & control
pediatric-review
Public Health
Risk factors
Systematic review
Time Factors
United States - epidemiology
Weaning
World Health Organization
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Summary:The World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age and continued breastfeeding until 2 years of age or beyond. Appropriate complementary foods should be introduced in a timely fashion, beginning when the infant is 6 months old. In developing countries, early or inappropriate complementary feeding may lead to malnutrition and poor growth, but in countries such as the United Kingdom and United States of America, where obesity is a greater public health concern than malnutrition, the relationship to growth is unclear. We conducted a systematic review of the literature that investigated the relationship between the timing of the introduction of complementary feeding and overweight or obesity during childhood. Electronic databases were searched from inception until 30 September 2012 using specified keywords. Following the application of strict inclusion/exclusion criteria, 23 studies were identified and reviewed by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted and aspects of quality were assessed using an adapted Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Twenty-one of the studies considered the relationship between the time at which complementary foods were introduced and childhood body mass index (BMI), of which five found that introducing complementary foods at 6 months, may increase the risk of childhood overweight.
ISSN:0307-0565
1476-5497
DOI:10.1038/ijo.2013.99