ABSTRACT
In many countries, infant cereals are one of the first foods introduced during the complementary feeding stage. These cereals are usually made with refined cereal flours, even though several health benefits have been linked to the intake of whole grain cereals. Prior evidence suggests that food preferences are developed at early stages of life, and may persist in later childhood and adulthood. Our aim was to test whether an infant cereal with 30% of whole grain was similarly accepted both by parents and infants in comparison to a similar cereal made from refined flour. A total of 81 infants between 4 and 24 months old were included in the study. Parent-infant pairs participated in an 8-day experimental study. Acceptance was rated on hedonic scales (4-points for infants and 7-points for parents). Other attributes like color, smell, and taste were evaluated by the parents. Acceptability for infant cereals with whole grain and refined cereals was very similar both for infants (2.30 ± 0.12 and 2.32 ± 0.11, p = 0.606) and parents (6.1 ± 0.8 and 6.0 ± 0.9, p = 0.494). Therefore, our findings show that there is an opportunity to introduce whole grain cereals to infants, including those who are already used to consuming refined infant cereals, thereby accelerating the exposure of whole grain in early life.
Subject(s)
Consumer Behavior , Foods, Specialized , Taste , Whole Grains/chemistry , Adult , Child, Preschool , Female , Flour , Food Preferences , Humans , Infant , Infant Formula/chemistry , Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena , Male , Milk, HumanABSTRACT
The first studies indicating polyamines as important growth factors in breast milk began during the nineties of last century. Nevertheless, it is still not well known the role they play in infant nutrition or what the recommended intake would be for this population group. In recent years, there has been increased attention of the international scientific community towards polyamines, not only due to the important role they play in the cellular metabolism, but also to their possible implication in some diseases and during the development of the human organism. Bearing in mind that the content in polyamines of the infant formula is around tenfold less than in breast milk, it would be recommended to gain insight into this theme in order to guarantee correct nutrition during lactation.
Subject(s)
Infant Formula/chemistry , Milk, Human/chemistry , Polyamines/administration & dosage , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Humans , Infant , Intestinal Mucosa/chemistry , Polyamines/analysisABSTRACT
Durante la década de los 90 del siglo pasado comenzaron los primeros estudios que señalaban a las poliaminas como importantes factores de crecimiento de la leche materna. Sin embargo, todavía se desconoce mucho sobre el papel que desempeñan en la alimentación infantil y cual sería la ingesta recomendada para este grupo poblacional. En los últimos años va siendo cada vez mayor la atención que muestra la comunidad científica internacional hacia las poliaminas, debido no sólo al importante papel que desempeñan en el metabolismo celular, sino por su posible participación en diversas patologías y durante el desarrollo del organismo. Sería recomendable, teniendo en cuenta que el contenido en poliaminas de las fórmulas infantiles es unas 10 veces menor al de la leche materna, profundizar más en este campo, con el fin de garantizar una correcta alimentación durante la etapa de lactancia.
Role of polyamines in diet. Importance of polyamines in infant nutrition. The first studies indicating polyamines as important growth factors in breast milk began during the nineties of last century. Nevertheless, it is still not well known the role they play in infant nutrition or what the recommended intake would be for this population group. In recent years, there has been increased attention of the international scientific community towards polyamines, not only due to the important role they play in the cellular metabolism, but also to their possible implication in some diseases and during the development of the human organism. Bearing in mind that the content in polyamines of the infant formula is around tenfold less than in breast milk, it would be recommended to gain insight into this theme in order to guarantee correct nutrition during lactation.
Subject(s)
Humans , Infant , Infant Formula/chemistry , Milk, Human/chemistry , Polyamines/administration & dosage , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Intestinal Mucosa/chemistry , Polyamines/analysisABSTRACT
El término folato se utiliza de forma genérica para denominar las distintas formas químicas derivadas del ácido fólico, una de las vitaminas del grupo B (concretamente la vitamina B). Son esenciales en el metabolismo al actuar como cofactores en las reacciones de transferencia de un carbono. No obstante, solamente las plantas y los microorganismos son capaces de sintetizarlos de novo, de tal forma que tanto los animales como el hombre necesitan ingerirlos a tráves de los alimentos de la dieta. se encuentra ampliamente extendido en la naturaleza, presentándose en mayor cantidad en las verduras de hoja ancha, en hígado y en cereales Aún así, en la actualidad es una de las deficiencias nutricionales más comunes en todo el mundo, y tiene graves consecuencias sobre la salud humana. Existe evidencia de que incluso en países desarrollados la ingesta de folatos es generalmente baja, e incluso en algunos casos por debajo de los niveles óptimos. Las autoridades competentes de numerosos países están tomando medidas a este respecto, de tal forma que se está realizando la fortificación, de numerosos alimentos considerados de consumo diario, tales como leche o cereales, ya sea de forma obligatoria (Estados Unidos, Canadá o Chile) o voluntaria (la mayoría de los países de Europa)
