Complementary food - important components of the child’s ration: effects on health and ways of optimization

Relevance of the research. Timing, order and sequence of complementary feeding remain the subject of discussion until now. The aim of the study. Estimate influence of different outlines of introduction of complementary foods on nutritional status and food behavior in children of first year of life.

Materials and methods. Examined 96 children in age of 4-6 months during introduction of complementary foods. Main group – 50 children (27 breast-feed (BF) children and 23 on milk formulas (MF)), in whose diet were introduced only complementary foods, which were made in special factories. Comparison group – 46 children (33 – BF and 13 – MF) received complementary foods made at home and in special factories. Duration of follow-up was 3 months. Physical examination, mother’s diary analysis, evaluation of tolerance of complementary foods, bacteriological examination of feces.

Results. On the background of introduction of complementary foods in the main group, increased the number of children with normal fatness (BF from 66.8% to 74.2%, MF from 82.7 to 88.4%), in comparison group, their number decreased (BF from 84.8% to 78.8%, MF from 69.3 to 62.3%). In the main group when a child refuses a product, mother continues offer it insistently. 61.5% of children began to eat unloved product at the end of first year of life. In comparison group, where mother changed unloved product at once, only 25% of children began to relate to it positively. In the main group dyspeptic disorders were mild in 4% of children. In in comparison group prevailed diarrheal syndrome, related to contamination with pathogenic strains of E. coli in 13% of children.

Conclusions. Using of industrial made complimentary foods according to the optimal order, with determined mothers perseverance provides equalization of fatness, allows to form a correct food behavior and decreases risk of intestinal colonization by pathogenic microorganisms.