Research Summaries

Summary adapted from ‘The Duration, Frequency, and Volume of Exclusive Human Milk and/or Infant Formula Consumption and Overweight and Obesity: A Systematic Review’ by Dewey et al. 2020 This article was a systematic review of the literature aiming to determine the relationship between the duration, frequency, and volume of exclusive human milk and/or infant formula […]

This summary is adapted from ‘Iron Requirements of Infants and Toddlers’ by Magnus et al. 2014 Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency, with young children at a particularly high risk due to the increased iron requirements while rapidly growing. It is estimated that approximately 25% of preschool children have iron deficiency anaemia1. Prevalence […]

This summary is based on ‘Bioactive Compounds in Infant Formula and Their Effects on Infant Nutrition and Health: A Systematic Literature Review’ by Almeida et al. 2021 Malnutrition contributes to approximately 60% of annual deaths worldwide, many of which can be attributed to inappropriate feeding practices during the first year of life1. Breastfeeding is regarded […]

This summary is adapted from ‘Clinical Benefits of Milk Fat Globule Membranes for Infants and Children’ by Hernell et al. 2016 There has long been research attempting to make infant formula as similar to breast milk as possible. Aside from the major components, there is growing interest in some of the substances which are present […]

This summary is adapted from ‘Compositional Dynamics of the Milk Fat Globule and Its Role in Infant Development’, by Lee et al. 2018. Milk fat globule (MFG) is a component of human breast milk which has been getting attention for its potential beneficial effects on infant health. MFG is a fat released from the mammary […]

This summary is adapted from ‘Postprandial metabolic response of breast-fed infants and infants fed lactose-free vs regular infant formula: A randomized controlled trial’ by Slupsky et al. 2017 Lactose is the major carbohydrate in human breast milk, with a 50% higher concentration than is found in cow’s milk1. Infant formulas aim to match the composition […]

This summary is adapted from ‘Comparison of growth and nutritional status in infants receiving goat milk-based formula and cow milk-based formula: a randomized, double-blind study’ by Xu et al. 2015 There has been interest in the use of goat’s milk-based infant formula, due to potential advantages over cow’s milk-based formula and consumer demand. Goat’s milk […]

Summary adapted from ‘Nutritional adequacy of goat milk infant formulas for term infants: a double-blind randomised controlled trial, by Zhou et al. 2014 There is a consumer demand for goat milk infant formula, as seen by reports of the use of homemade infant formulas made from goat milk1. Analysis of the proteins in goat milk […]

This summary is adapted from ‘Lactose-reduced infant formula with corn syrup solids and obesity risk among participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)’ by Anderson et al. 2022. The prevalence of childhood obesity is a huge public health issue, having increased significantly in recent times1. Rapid weight gain in […]

This summary is adapted from “Gut Microbiota and Obesity: A Role for Probiotics” by Abenavoli et al. 2019 The worldwide prevalence of obesity has almost tripled since 1975, with it acting as a contributing factor in the deaths of at least 2.8 million people annually1. There has long been interest in the gut microbiome, which […]