Test-weighing and nutrient intakes of breast milk feeding for Taiwanese infants from 1 to 12 months of age

This study continued our previous effort for measuring breast milk intake in infants before the age of 6 months. We had four study objectives: 1. complete the test-weighting of infants aged 7-12 months; 2. combine previous data and report the breast milk intake of infants aged 1-12 months; 3. update food composition data of breast milk and calculate the nutrient intake of infants aged 1-12 months; and 4. compare and discuss an international breast milk quantitative methodology. In contrast to the positive linear trend found for infants aged 1-6 months, our results showed a negative linear trend for breast milk consumption from 7 to 12 months of age, with a plateau occurring from 9 months. The average daily breast milk intake of 7-12 months decreased from 490 to 339 g, the average frequency decreased from 6 to 4 times, and the average intake per feeding was around 80-90 g. The energy intake from 7 to 12 months was 300 to 200 kcal, with a composition of 6% protein, 44% fat, and 50% carbohydrate. In addition to the detailed documentation of comparisons of breast milk composition, this study compared analytical data and updated the calculation for nutrient intake in breast-fed infants in Taiwan.