Influence of Feeding Pattern on Infant Growth: A Longitudinal Study with Gut Microbiome Insights

Objectives: To determine the proportion of exclusive breastfeeding in the study population. To determine the effect of various infant feeding patterns on anthropometric measurements, incidence of infectious diseases, antibiotic exposure and developmental milestones in infancy. The study also assessed the overall gut microbial abundance, alpha and beta diversity, by preliminary gut microbiome analysis. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted by collecting feeding pattern data from mothers of healthy newborns (n = 374) who were assessed at birth, 1.5, 3.5, 6, 9 and 12 months. The gut microbiome analysis was done using stool samples collected at birth, 1.5, 3.5 and 9 months. Results: Weight-for-height Z-scores indicated a higher prevalence of overweight in ‘mixed milk feeding’ and ‘mixed complementary feeding’ at 6 months (P = 0.907) with a significant association at 12 months (P = 0.019). A significant association was seen between ‘mixed complementary feeding’ and episodes of antibiotic exposure at 6 months (P = 0.007) and 12 months (P = 0.002), and episodes of fever (P = 0.009), cold (P = 0.007) and diarrhea (P = 0.024) after 9 months of age. Predominant phyla observed in the gut microbiome were Firmicutes; genera Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus were in abundance with increasing age. Conclusions: Breastfeeding promotes beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome with microbial diversity increasing during complementary feeding. Home-based complementary feeding contributes to improved nutritional status and reduced infectious diseases.