Meat is good for babies’ length gain
GIVING formula-fed infants a higher protein diet such as puréed meat can improve their early length growth, new research suggests.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest that meat can be an important source of much-needed protein in an infant’s diet during the transition to solid foods.
“Meat, such as pork, provides important micro-nutrients, is an excellent source of protein, and can be an important complementary food for infants who are ready for solid foods,” said lead study author Minghua Tang, assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz, in the US.
“Our research suggests introducing higher amounts of protein and introducing meat into the diet at five months could be potentially beneficial for linear growth (length gain),” Tang said.
In the study, a group of healthy, formula-fed infants ate meat-based foods or dairy-based complementary foods from ages 5 to 12 months old, increasing their protein intake from 2g/kg each day to 3g/ kg. While the protein increased, both calories and fat intakes stayed the same between the meat and dairy groups, regardless of protein source.
The researchers found the puréed meats promoted a greater rate of growth – with length of nearly 2.5cm greater compared to the dairy-fed group at 12 months of age, with no increase in risk of being overweight.