Glutamic acid intake by formula-fed infants: are acceptable daily intakes appropriate?

The 2017 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommendation of an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 30 mg glutamic acid/kg bw/day did not take into consideration the primary energy sources during infancy, including infant formulas. In the present study, we determined total daily intakes of glutamic acid in a contemporary cohort of healthy infants who were fed either cow milk formula (CMF) or extensive protein hydrolysate formula (EHF); the formulas differed substantially in glutamic acid content. The infants (n = 141) were randomized to be fed either CMF or EHF. Dietary intakes were determined from weighed bottle methods and/or prospective diet records, and body weights were measured on 14 occasions from 0.5 to 12.5 months. Secondary data analysis determined the glutamic acid content of the diet over time. The trial was registered at  http://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov/ as NCT01700205, 3 October 2012. Glutamic acid intake from formula and other foods was significantly higher in infants fed EHF when compared to CMF. As glutamic acid intake from formula decreased, intake from other nutritional sources steadily increased from 5.5 months. Regardless of formula type, every infant exceeded the ADI of 30 mg/kg bw/day from 0.5 to 12.5 months.   Conclusion: Given that the ADI recommendation was not based on actual intake data of primary energy sources during infancy, the present findings on the growing child's ingestion of glutamic acid from infant formula and the complementary diet may be of interest when developing future guidelines and communications to parents, clinical care providers, and policy makers. WHAT IS KNOWN: • The 2017 re-evaluation of the safety of glutamic acid-glutamates and the recommended acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 30 mg/kg bw/d by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) did not include actual intake data of the primary energy sources during infancy. WHAT IS NEW: • During the first year, glutamic acid intake from infant formula and other food sources exceeded the ADI of 30 mg/kg bw/day.

Glutamic Acid Intake by Formula-Fed Infants: Are Acceptable Daily Intakes Feasible?

PURPOSE: The 2017 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommendation of an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 30 mg glutamic acid/kg bw/d did not take into consideration the primary energy sources during infancy, including infant formulas. In the present study, we determined total daily intakes of glutamic acid in a contemporary cohort of healthy infants who were fed either cow milk formula (CMF) or extensive protein hydrolysate formulas (EHF); the formulas differed in glutamic acid content (262.4 mg/100ml, CMF; 436.2 mg/100ml, EHF). METHODS: The infants ( n = 141) were randomized to be fed either CMF or EHF. Daily intakes were determined from weighed bottle methods and/or prospective diet records, and body weights and lengths were measured on 15 occasions from 0.5 to 12.5 months. The trial was registered on http://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov/ as trial registration number NCT01700205 on 3 October 2012. RESULTS: Glutamic acid intake from formula and other foods was significantly higher in infants fed EHF when compared to CMF. As glutamic acid intake from formula decreased, intake from other nutritional sources steadily increased from 5.5 months. Regardless of formula type, every infant exceeded the ADI of 30 mg/kg bw/d from 0.5 to 12.5 months. CONCLUSIONS: Faced with the knowledge that the EFSA health-based guidance value (ADI) was not based on actual intake data and did not account for the primary energy sources during infancy, EFSA may reconsider the scientific literature on growing children's intakes from human milk, infant formula, and the complementary diet to provide parents and health care providers with revised guidelines.

Relationship Between Human Milk Feeding Patterns and Growth in the First Year of Life in Infants with Congenital Heart Defects.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between patterning of human milk feeding and growth of infants with congenital heart defects in the first year of life. Inclusion criteria for this prospective cohort study included infants 0-21 days, who had undergone or had planned neonatal corrective or palliative surgery prior to hospital discharge, and whose mothers planned to feed human milk. Data on anthropometric measures (weight, length, head circumference) and infant milk type (human milk, formula, other) were collected at nine time points (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 months). Anthropometric data were converted to weight-for-age, length-for-age, head circumference-for-age, and weight-for-length Z-scores using World Health Organization growth reference data. Cluster analysis identified three milk type feeding patterns in the first year: Infants fed human milk only with no formula supplementation, infants fed human milk who then transitioned to a mix of human milk and formula, and infants who fed human milk and transitioned to formula only. General linear models assessed the effect of milk type feeding patterns on growth parameters over time. No effect of milk type pattern × time was found on longitudinal changes in weight-for-age (p for interaction = 0.228), length-for-age (p for interaction = 0.173), weight-for-length (p for interaction = 0.507), or head circumference-for-age (p for interaction = 0.311) Z-scores. In this cohort study, human milk alone or combined with infant formula supported age-appropriate growth in infants with congenital heart defects in the first year.

Human Milk, Infant Formula, and Other Milks Fed to Infants and Toddlers in the United States, NHANES 2007-2018.

BACKGROUND: For the first time, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide specific guidance regarding the types of foods and beverages that should be offered in the first 2 years of life. Milk, in various forms (eg, human milk, infant formula, and cow's milk) contributes a large proportion of key nutrients to the diets of infants and toddlers in the United States. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the types of milk (human milk, infant formula, and other milk) fed to US infants and toddlers in the past 12 years and to describe trends over time. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional analysis of 2-day, 24-hour dietary recalls. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Data from the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used for these analyses. Infants and toddlers aged 0 through 23.9 months with 2 days of dietary recall data (n = 3,079) were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was proportion of infants and toddlers fed different milk types. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Survey-adjusted weighted percentages were used to report sociodemographic characteristics and the proportion of subjects fed each milk type category by age group and survey cycles. Binary and multinomial logistic regressions were used to assess differences in subject characteristics by age groups. RESULTS: Sociodemographic characteristics did not differ by age group. The proportion of infants aged 0 to <6 months fed infant formula only was 60.2% in 2007-2012 and 44.8% in 2013-2018. The proportion of infants aged 6 to <12 months fed partially hydrolyzed infant formula only was 7.3% in 2007-2012 and 13.1% in 2013-2018. In toddlers (>12 months old), cow's milk was the predominant milk type in both 2007-2012 and 2013-2018. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of infants fed any human milk increased over the past decade. Unsweetened cow's milk was the most predominate milk type consumed among toddlers.

Effects of Early Weight Gain Velocity, Diet Quality, and Snack Food Access on Toddler Weight Status at 1.5 Years: Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Infant Formula Trial.

This study followed children who participated in a feeding trial in which the type of randomized infant formula fed from 2 weeks significantly affected weight gain velocity during the first 4 months and weight-for-length Z (WLZ) scores up to 11.5 months. We focused on measures of anthropometry, dietary intakes, and parenting related to the provision of snack foods that were collected at the end of the trial (1 year) and the 1.5 years follow-up visit. We not only describe what toddlers are eating, but we also determined the independent and/or interactive effects of randomized formula group, early weight gain velocity, the nutrient content of the post-formula diet, and maternal snack food practices, on toddlers' weight status. Diet quality underwent drastic changes during this 6-month period. As infant formula disappeared from the diet, fruit and 100% fruit juice intake increased slightly, while intake of "What We Eat in America" food categories sweetened beverages and snacks and sweets more than doubled. Added sugars accounted for 5% of energy needs at 1 year and 9% at 1.5 years. Generalized linear mixed models revealed that, independent of the randomized formula group, greater velocities of weight gain during early infancy and lower access to snacks as toddlers predicted higher WLZ and a greater proportion of toddlers with overweight at 1.5 years. Energy and added sugar intake had no significant effects. These findings add to the growing body of evidence that unhealthy dietary habits are formed even before formula weaning and that, along with improving early diet, transient rapid weight gain and parental feeding practices are modifiable determinants that may reduce risks for obesity.