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Global Comparison of Human Breastmilk Consumption and Patterns in Infants and Toddlers
Citation:
Terry, J., L. Stanek, L. Melnyk, AND N. Tulve. Global Comparison of Human Breastmilk Consumption and Patterns in Infants and Toddlers. International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) 2023 Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 27 - 31, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
Breastmilk consumption, lipid content, and feeding frequency and duration are oftentimes used as data inputs for modeling analyses, exposure, and risk assessments. Our objective was to systematically review the literature to report on the latest data on breastmilk consumption, lipid content, and feeding frequency and duration. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature (2012-2020) on partially and exclusively breastfed infants using Web of Science and PubMed. Example search terms included “human,” “milk,” “intake,” and “consumption” and relevant variations. Initial screening evaluated titles and abstracts against the inclusion criteria. For papers that passed the initial screening, full text screening was completed to ensure relevant extractable data which included cohort demographics, sample size, milk and lipid intakes, feeding frequency and duration, and supporting environmental, socioeconomic, and health information. Fifty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Milk intake was the greatest for infants aged 1 to <3 months (134+24 mL/kg*day) and least for infants aged 1 to 2 years (38+42 mL/kg*day). Maximum lipid intake occurred when infants were 0 to <1 month old (6+2 g/kg*day), while the minimum lipid intake occurred when infants were 6m to <1 year old (3+2 g/kg*day). Feeding frequency was greatest for infants aged 0 to <1 month (11 feeds/day). Maximum average feeding duration was 87+48 min/feed at 3 months. Our preliminary analysis showed some fluctuations in average milk intake by age. In general, human milk intake is comparable across the world for each age range.
Description:
Breastmilk consumption, lipid content, and feeding frequency and duration are oftentimes used as data inputs for modeling analyses, exposure, and risk assessments. Our objective was to systematically review the literature to report on the latest data on breastmilk consumption, lipid content, and feeding frequency and duration. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature (2012-2020) on partially and exclusively breastfed infants using Web of Science and PubMed. Example search terms included “human,” “milk,” “intake,” and “consumption” and relevant variations. Initial screening evaluated titles and abstracts against the inclusion criteria. For papers that passed the initial screening, full text screening was completed to ensure relevant extractable data which included cohort demographics, sample size, milk and lipid intakes, feeding frequency and duration, and supporting environmental, socioeconomic, and health information. Fifty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Milk intake was the greatest for infants aged 1 to <3 months (134+24 mL/kg*day) and least for infants aged 1 to 2 years (38+42 mL/kg*day). Maximum lipid intake occurred when infants were 0 to <1 month old (6+2 g/kg*day), while the minimum lipid intake occurred when infants were 6m to <1 year old (3+2 g/kg*day). Feeding frequency was greatest for infants aged 0 to <1 month (11 feeds/day). Maximum average feeding duration was 87+48 min/feed at 3 months. Our preliminary analysis showed some fluctuations in average milk intake by age. In general, human milk intake is comparable across the world for each age range.