The effect of prebiotic intervention foods on caregiver-reported infant sleep and caregiver sleep quality during complementary feeding- secondary analysis of a randomized control trial.
Xiaoxi Fu, Amy L Lovell, Clare R Wall et al.
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In 30 seconds
This secondary outcome analysis of a three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial examined caregiver-reported infant sleep and caregiver sleep quality during the first four months of complementary feeding. Infants received kūmara, kūmara with added resistant starch, or control foods. At four months, the kūmara group had significantly less nocturnal wakefulness than the control group (8.4 min, p = 0.023). The resistant-starch group showed a near-significant increase in daytime sleep and trends toward more reports of problematic nighttime sleep at two months. Caregiver sleep outcomes did not differ significantly.
Key findings
- At four months, infants in the kūmara group had 8.4 min less nocturnal wakefulness than controls (p = 0.023).
- The kūmara-plus-resistant-starch group had a near-significant 11.4 min increase in daytime sleep (p = 0.053).
- At two months, the kūmara-plus-resistant-starch group showed trends toward more caregiver reports of problematic nighttime sleep.
- Caregiver sleep quality outcomes did not differ significantly between groups.
Why it matters
Infant sleep disruption can affect caregiver sleep and well-being, so dietary approaches during complementary feeding are of interest. This analysis suggests a possible reduction in infant nocturnal wakefulness with kūmara, but did not find corresponding differences in caregiver sleep. The findings help define a question for further study rather than establishing a reliable sleep benefit.
What to keep in mind
Sleep was assessed subjectively through caregiver reports; the authors call for further research using objective sleep measures and investigating mechanisms.