Long-Term Effects and Potential Impact of Early Nutrition with Breast Milk or Infant Formula on Glucose Homeostasis Control in Healthy Children at 6 Years Old: A Follow-Up from the COGNIS Study

There is scarce evidence about early nutrition programming of dynamic aspects of glucose homeostasis. We analyzed the long-term effects of early nutrition on glycemic variability in healthy children. A total of 92 children participating in the COGNIS study were considered for this analysis, who were fed with: a standard infant formula (SF, n = 32), an experimental formula (EF, n = 32), supplemented with milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) components, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), and synbiotics, or were breastfed (BF, n = 28). At 6 years old, BF children had lower mean glucose levels and higher multiscale sample entropy (MSE) compared to those fed with SF. No differences in MSE were found between EF and BF groups. Normal and slow weight gain velocity during the first 6 months of life were associated with higher MSE at 6 years, suggesting an early programming effect against later metabolic disorders, thus similarly to what we observed in breastfed children. Conclusion: According to our results, BF and normal/slow weight gain velocity during early life seem to protect against glucose homeostasis dysregulation at 6 years old. EF shows functional similarities to BF regarding children's glucose variability. The detection of glucose dysregulation in healthy children would help to develop strategies to prevent the onset of metabolic disorders in adulthood.

Automated summary

There is limited evidence on the early nutrition programming of glucose homeostasis in children. This study found that breastfeeding and normal/slow weight gain in the first 6 months of life appear to protect against dysregulation of glucose homeostasis at 6 years old. The experimental formula showed functional similarities to breastfeeding in terms of children's glucose variability.