TOTAL-ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN 9-MONTH AND 12-MONTH INFANTS

Objectives: To measure the total energy expenditure of 9 and 12 month old infants and compare with current recommendations for energy intake . Design: Cross-sectional study. Total energy expenditure assessed usi ng the doubly labelled water technique over a 10 d period. Classical a nthropometric measurements taken. Setting: Community based study in an d around Cambridge, UK. Subjects: Twenty infants aged 9 months of age and 20 infants aged 12 months of age recruited via local hospital birt h records. Main outcome measures: Total energy expenditure calculated via the doubly labelled water technique. Results: Measurements of tota l energy expenditure was successful in 34 cases. Mean total energy exp enditure was 73.5 kcal/kg, 73.2 kcal/kg, 77.1 kcal/kg and 77.6 kcal/kg in the nine month old boys, nine month old girls, twelve month old bo ys and twelve month old girls respectively. These measurements are app roximately 17% below current recommendations (FAO/WHO/UNU, 1985) at ni ne months of age and 22% below at one year of age. Conclusion: The dat a are consistent with findings in younger infants and older children i n that the measurements of total energy expenditure are about 20-25% b elow current recommendations. It is unlikely that contemporary infants are being underfed and thus more likely that changes in feeding pract ices and modification of infant formula composition has led to the red uction in energy intake and energy expenditure in such infants.