(P27-098-25) Infant Bean Food Consumption and Risk of Early Childhood Obesity

Objectives: To examine the associations between infant bean food consumption during pregnancy in the first 2 years and the risk of childhood obesity from 2 to 5 years.

Methods: We analyzed data from a U.S. cohort of 2,896 children in the WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study 2 (WIC ITFPS-2). The caregiver reported infant bean consumption (i.e., dried beans and chili) using 24-hour dietary recalls. The frequency of consumption was calculated across six age points in year 1, four age points in year 2, and ten age points in years 1 and 2 combined. Outcome measures included the risk of obesity, body mass index z-score (BMIz), and weight-for-height z-score (WHz) from 2 to 5 years of age. We used multivariable logistical and linear regression models to examine the associations of infant bean consumption with binary (obesity) and categorical (BMIz and WHz) outcomes, respectively, adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, the child’s birth weight, and breastfeeding duration.

Results: A higher dried bean consumption tended to be associated with reduced obesity risk in females during year 2, and the confounder-adjusted odds ratio or aOR per one-level increment in dried bean consumption frequency was 0.81 (95% confidence interval or CI, 0.66-1.01; p=0.059). Similarly, infant chili consumption was not associated with obesity risk in the total sample, but there was a trend toward reduced obesity risk in males consuming chili in year 2 (aOR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.52-1.03]; p=0.070). Dried bean consumption in year 2 (mean difference, -0.15 [95% CI, -0.30 to 0.01]; p=0.062) and both years combined (-0.17 [95% CI, -0.33 to 0.00; p=0.044) was associated with a significant reduction in BMIz from 2 to 5 years among females. Infant chili consumption was not associated with BMIz or WHz, except for a trend toward reduced WHz in males consuming chili in year 2 (-0.11 [95% CI, -0.24 to 0.01]; p=0.070) and both years combined (-0.10 [95% CI, -0.21 to 0.01]; p=0.083).

Conclusions: In males, infant chili consumption seemed to be associated with a reduced risk of obesity and lower BMIz. In females, infant dried bean consumption was associated with lower BMIz and possibly a reduced risk of obesity.

Funding Sources: This study was supported by a research grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.