Nutrition for Babies

中文翻译

Babies are very special little people who need the best care available to them. It is especially important that they have a healthy start in life. As their early years are the crucial years for growth and development, the right foods in the right amounts are necessary for their long term health. Breast milk is preferable as the sole source of nutrition up until about 6 months, or infant formula if you are unable to breastfeed.

The Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) state that at 6 months of age, your baby needs additional iron from food and is physically ready to take on the challenge of learning to eat. Breast milk or formula, however, continues to be the most important source of nutrition.

In recent years there has been increasing awareness of the importance of perinatal nutrition in terms of the development of disease in adulthood; this is known as the foetal origins of disease or Barker hypothesis. In addition, there is increasing evidence of the importance of growth and nutrition in relation to cognitive development. Growth during infancy also influences future bone mass.

Child Nutrition

Children between the ages of 1 and 5 years are still considered nutritionally vulnerable, although their growth rate is slower than in infancy and their nutritional needs in relation to their body size are proportionally reduced. Relative to their body weight, however, childrens nutrient and energy requirement are still greater than those of adults.

Compared with adults, young children are unable to exert as much control over what they eat. Too little or too much food, or an imbalance of nutrients or energy over a period, can alter the natural progress of physical growth. A childs rate of growth is a fundamental indicator of dietary adequacy and health, and parents and other carers must be aware of and responsive to the developmental and nutritional needs of children. Growth is the most important indicator of good nutrition.

Childhood is a period of continuous education about eating and good nutrition, and appropriate use of food is important in establishing lifetime nutrition practices

(Source : NHMRC Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia)

Growth and Development

Protein

Protein is an important nutrient needed by everyone of a daily basis. It is made up of essential and non-essential amino acids, which are the "building blocks" for healthy bodies. Protein has a number of different roles in the body including the following:

1. Repair body cells
2. Build and repair muscles and bones
3. Provide a source of energy
4. Control many of the important processes in the body related to metabolism

Nucleotides

Nucleotides are compounds found naturally in human breast milk. They are involved in many different critical metabolic processes in the body like energy metabolism and enzymatic reactions. Also, as the building blocks of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) they are essential for normal body functions.

Vitamins

Vitamin status (Vitamin A,C,D,E) improves postnatal growth and reduces infant morbidity and mortality.

Minerals

A well-balanced blend of minerals is important for growth and development (eg, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iodine)

Choline

Choline is important for synthesis of phospholipids in cell membranes, metabolism, neurotransmission, trans-membrane signalling, lipid-cholesterol transport and metabolism.

Taurine

Taurine is necessary for normal skeletal muscle functioning.

Lactoferrin

Is a whey-based glycoprotein with a powerful iron-binding capacity found in the milk of various mammals, including cows and humans. It is also found in other secretions, such as saliva, colostrum, tears, mucus and blood.

These secrections have an important job to do in protecting their host. Since the secrections are in contact with the body's external environment, they function as its first line of defence for the immune system when facing potentially dangerous invaders. Lactoferrin has been found to work as an inhibitor of human pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Research has shown lactoferrin to have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects.

One of lactoferrin's key pathogen-fighting properties is it ability to sequester iron. Many pathogenic bacteria thrive on iron, and lactoferrin stops the bacteria's progress by making iron unavailable to them. It also functions as a natural antioxidant by binding to free ferric ions and inhibiting the formation of free radicals.

Lactoferrin has a demonstrated inhibitory effect on a number of viruses and is thought to bind directly to viral particles and inhibit their replication. It has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.

One of the most promising uses for lactoferrin may lie in its potential as a cancer treatment. Studies have found that protein could be used as a safe and well-tolerated anti-cancer agent with demonstrated anti-tumour activity.

Breast-fed babies may be more resistant to infection than bottle-fed babies, partly due to the work of lactoferrin, which is present in colostrum and, in relatively high concentrations, in human breast milk.

Fats and carbohydrates

Fats and oils are an important dietary requirement for infants. Therefore formulations attempt to match the serum fatty acid profile of real breast milk. These fatty acids include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which may be derived from fish oil and other sources. In actual breast milk there is a significant amount of fatty compounds known as triglycerides. For example, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is believed to be important triglycerides. Triglycerides which are similar to (but not biochemically identical to) those found in breast milk can be derived from egg yolk phospholipids. Alternatively, fatty acid precursors (molecules which react to form dietary fatty acids) may be added to infant formula.