According to a study, grains contribute fiber and other nutrients to baby diets.
WASHINGTON In comparison to infants who did not eat grains, infants who fed grains had higher intakes of fiber as well as various other minerals and vitamins, as per a study funded by the Grain Foods Foundation, based in Washington, and published online in minerals on November 20, 2019.
The results of the study will be used by the Grain Foods Foundation to help guide the creation of the soon-to-be revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which will for the first time include guidelines for women who are pregnant or nursing as well as infants up to the age of two.
The study’s author, Yanni Papanikolaou, vice-president of Nutrition Strategies Inc., said, “This is the first to examine grain consumption patterns among U.S. infants using NHANES and clearly provides evidence for what organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the C.D.C. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), have been suggesting for decades: grains support the backbone of a healthy infant diet.” “Moreover, the research emphasizes the numerous possible long-term health hazards associated with nutrition that arise from removing or cutting back on grain foods from diets during one of the most critical phases of growth and development.”
The fourth meeting of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee took place in Houston on January 23–24. Later this year, the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans should be presented by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.
The study, which can be seen here, used 24-hour dietary recall baby data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Compared to children of the same age who did not consume grains, infants aged 6 to 12 months who ingested grains had higher daily intakes of dietary fiber, calcium, folate, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, choline, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. Grain-eating infants between the ages of six and twelve months also ate more carbohydrates and sodium, including increased sugars.
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When it came to the intake of other foods, such as dairy products, whole protein foods, legumes, greens, and saturated fat, infants aged 6 to 12 months who ate grains scored higher than those who did not.
Grain consumption was linked to higher daily intakes of phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, folate, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 in babies between the ages of 13 and 23 months. Consumption of sugars, particularly added sugars, and sodium did not differ.
Grain-consuming infants, ages 13 to 23 months, also scored higher on intake measures for whole fruit, refined grains, total fruit, and whole grains.
The study’s main finding, according to Mr. Papanikolaou, is that parents, caregivers, and those who provide them dietary advice should be aware of the numerous advantages of include grains in infants’ diets as well as the numerous hazards of eliminating them.
Because enhanced grains include folic acid, they might also be mentioned favorably in the next Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Folic acid fortification of enriched grains was mandated by the FDA in 1998 because it helps reduce birth problems, including neural tube disorders.