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Energy requirements of infants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Nancy F Butte
Nancy F Butte*
Affiliation:
USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Email nbutte@bcm.tmc.edu
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Abstract

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Objective

To estimate the energy requirements of infants from total energy expenditure and energy deposition during growth.

Design

Energy requirements during infancy were estimated from total energy expenditure measured by the doubly labelled water method and energy deposition based on measured protein and fat gains.

Setting

Database on the total energy expenditure and energy deposition of infants was compiled from available studies conducted in China, Chile, Gambia, Mexico, Netherlands, UK, and USA.

Subjects

Healthy, term infants.

Results

Total energy requirements (kJ day−1) increased with age and were higher in boys than girls due to differences in weight. Energy requirements decreased from 473 kJ kg−1 per day for boys and 447 kJ kg−1 per day for girls at 1 month of age to 337 kJ kg−1 per day for boys and 341 kJ kg−1 per day for girls at 6 months of age, and thereafter tended to plateau. Energy deposition as a percentage of total energy requirements decreased from 40% at 1 month to 3% at 12 months of age. These estimates are 10–32% lower than the 1985 FAO/WHO/UNU recommendations which were based on observed energy intakes of infants.

Conclusions

Recommendations for the energy intake of infants should be revised based on new estimates of total energy expenditure and energy deposition.

Keywords

Metabolizable energyBasal metabolismPhysical activityTotal energy expenditureEnergy costInfantsGrowthEnergy deposition
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 8 , Issue 7a , October 2005 , pp. 953 - 967
Copyright
Copyright © The Author 2005

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