Appetite in infancy- a link to later obesity?

Is appetite inherited in early infancy and could it be a possible link to future obesity? A recent study has looked at whether certain appetite traits are inherited during the first 3 months of life, while the infant is still consuming an all milk diet.

An association between appetite and obesity risk has been shown in adults and children. Obese children tend to be more responsive to the smell and look of food, eat faster, value food more highly and often don't respond to the body's cues telling them they've had enough. In infancy, faster sucking and bottle emptying has been linked to excess weight.

The study used data from the 2007 Gemini study, a birth cohort of twins (2402 pairs) from England and Wales which assessed the genetic and environmental influences on growth from birth to age 5 years. Parents were asked, using the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire to rate their infant's enjoyment of food, food responsiveness, slowness in eating and satiety reponsiveness. Genetic modelling determined the heritability of traits.

All four eating behaviours showed significant genetic heritability with slowness in eating and satiety responsiveness having the greatest genetic effect, and food responsiveness and enjoyment of food having a moderate genetic effect. Genes therefore play an important role in appetite regulation from early life. The findings also  support the growing body of evidence that feeding rate is an important behaviour affecting an infant's genetically determined growth rate and may be a precursor to eating speed later in life. Infants with avid appetites are more likely to be at risk for later obesity. By identifying these infants early on, strategies could be implemented to alter the expression of these genetic traits.

References:

Llewllyn CH, van Jaarsveld CHM et al. Nature and nurture in infant appetite:analysis of the Gemini twin birth cohort. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;91:1172-9