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Energy intake and expenditure of free-living, lactating Colombian women in an urban setting

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 56, pages 205–213 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the components of energy balance during lactation in a population of economically disadvantaged women in an urban developing country setting in order to better understand the metabolic response to lactation.

Design. Cross-sectional comparison of lactating (LACT) and non-pregnant non-lactating (NPNL) women. Body size and composition were assessed via anthropometry, energy intake was measured using estimated diet records and energy expenditure using indirect calorimetry and the Flex-Heart Rate method.

Setting: Low-income neighborhoods of Cali, Colombia.

Subjects: Lactating women (n=15) studied at 2.4±0.8, 5.5±0.8 and 8.9±1.2 months postpartum, and NPNL women (n=48) studied in three measurement rounds at 0, 3.5±0.6 and 7.1±1.0 months.

Results: There were no significant differences between LACT and NPNL women in anthropometric dimensions, but LACT women showed decreases in waist–hip ratio, lean body mass and increases in mid-arm circumference and percentage body fat with time. Energy intake was higher in LACT women (P=0.04), but there were no significant between-group differences in energy expenditure variables.

Conclusion: This group of women met the cost of lactation principally via increased energy intake.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by NIH grant 5-R22-DK39734. The authors express their gratitude to Zoila de Maldonado, Betty de Orozco and Jairo Ardila for their excellent technical support and also to Blanca Diaz, Clara Ines Gil Rivas, Mayerling Valencia Castro, Ruth Garcia Ramirez and Yasmin Villota for their invaluable assistance in data collection. We are also grateful to the Secretaria del Deporte y Recreación de Cali for logistical support, to the Instituto Nacional de Nutrición for the proximate analyses of common foods, to the Fundación Arcesio Paz Paz and to the Fundación para La Educación Superior. We thank the women of Agua Blanca for their patience and cooperation.

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Author notes

  1. DL Dufour and GB Spurr: Guarantor: DL Dufour and GB Spurr.

  2. DL Dufour, JC Reina and GB Spurr: Contributors: GBS initiated the study and was responsible for the design in collaboration with DLD. DLD, JCR and GBS collected the data. GBS and DLD did the data analysis and JCR participated in the interpretation. DLD was the main writer of the manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA

    DL Dufour

  2. Department of Physiological Sciences, Univer-sidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

    DL Dufour & GB Spurr

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

    JC Reina

  4. Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA

    GB Spurr

  5. Research Service, Zablocki Veterans' Administration Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

    GB Spurr

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  1. DL Dufour
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  3. GB Spurr
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Correspondence to DL Dufour.

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Dufour, D., Reina, J. & Spurr, G. Energy intake and expenditure of free-living, lactating Colombian women in an urban setting. Eur J Clin Nutr 56, 205–213 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601302

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