Comparison of the different kinds of feeding on the level of fecal calprotectin

Abstract

Background: Controversial results have been reported on the effect of type of feeding on the level of fecal calprotectin in infants.

Objective: To assess fecal calprotectin levels in breast fed or nonbreast fed healthy infants.

Design: A study was conducted to compare fecal calprotectin in infants who were exclusively breastfed compared to those who were not breastfed in Shanghai, China. Stool samples were collected and analyzed, and the fecal calprotectin concentration was determined using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The infant's weight and length were measured. Parents were asked to fill in a brief questionnaire, with questions about several clinical and sociodemographic factors.

Subjects: This study included 105 healthy infants aged 0-5 months.

Results: Stool samples were obtained from 105 healthy infants (63 boys, 42 girls) with a median age of 2.86 months (range 1-5.88). The median fecal calprotectin concentration was significantly higher in breast fed infants (377μg/g, range 35-937μg/g) than that in nonbreast fed ones (233μg/g, range 37-895μg/g) (p=0.001). A correlation was found that from 0 to 5 months, fecal calprotectin was negatively and significantly associated with age in both two kinds of feeding (breast fed: Spearman's rho -0.346, p=0.010; nonbreast fed: Spearman's rho -0.478, p<0.001).

Conclusions: Our findings show that the kind of feeding influences the fecal calprotectin concentration and breast fed infants have higher levels than nonbreast fed ones in the first months of life. This may represent that human milk influences the gut mucosa by immunomodulating factors.

Keywords: Breast-feeding; Fecal calprotectin; Formula-feeding; Infants.