Growth & Nutrition

The Nutrition Group are involved in the examination of nutrition and dietary patterns in the Raine Cohort over the years. Breastfeeding information indicated that children who were breastfed for six months or more had reduced respiratory illness and infection as babies.[6]  Examination of outcomes for development at six and eight years old revealed those children that were breast fed were significantly better at reading and talking than those children who were not breastfed.[5] Additional research showed children who were breast fed were less likely to have asthma or allergies at six years of age.[1] Further research on asthma and diet showed that diets rich in n-3 fatty acids (eg fish, whole grain cereals, sunflower and flax seeds, canola oil) were better for protecting against the symptoms of asthma than diets rich in n-6 fatty acids (margarine, vegetable oils, processed food).[8]

The Nutrition Group are examining nutrition and dietary patterns in regard to child development and child mental health. They are looking at dietary patterns in relation to the metabolic syndrome and glycemic index related to child obesity. Recently the Nutrition Group reported that a complex breakfast is directly linked to better mental health irrespective of family income, the student's weight or exercise routine.

 1

Oddy WH, Holt PG, Sly PD, Read AW, Landau LI, Stanley FJ, Kendall G, Burton PR. The association between breastfeeding and asthma in six-year-old children: findings from a prospective birth cohort study. British Medical Journal 1999; 319: 815-819.

 2

Oddy WH. Breastfeeding and asthma: findings from a West Australian Study. Breastfeeding Review 2000; 8 (1): 5-11.

 3

Oddy WH, de Klerk NH, Peat JK. Maternal asthma and the risk of asthma in children. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2002; 110: 65-67.

 4

Oddy WH, deKlerk NH, Sly PD, Holt PG. The effects of respiratory infections, atopy, and breast feeding on childhood asthma. European Respiratory Journal 2002; 19:899-905.

 5

Oddy WH, Kendall GE, Blair E, de Klerk NH, Stanley FJ, Landau LI, Silburn S, Zubrick S. Breastfeeding and cognitive development in childhood: a prospective birth cohort study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2003; 17 (1): 81-90.

 6

Oddy WH, Sly PD, de Klerk NH, Landau LI, Kendall GE, Holt PG, Stanley FJ. Breastfeeding, respiratory illness and infection in infancy: a prospective birth cohort study. Archives of Disease in Childhood 2003; 88 (3): 224-228.

 7

Oddy WH, Sherriff JL, de Klerk NH, Kendall GE, Sly PD, Blake KV, Stanley F, Landau L, Beilin L. The relation of breastfeeding and body mass index to asthma and atopy in children: a prospective cohort study to six years. American Journal of Public Health 2004; 94 (9): 1531-7.

 8

Oddy WH, de Klerk NH, Kendall GE, Mihrshahi S, Peat JK. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids and childhood asthma: a nested case-control study.

 9

Oddy WH, Sherriff JL, Kendall GE, de Klerk NH, Mori TA, Blake KV, Beilin LJ. Patterns of fish consumption and levels of serum phospholipid very-long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in children with and without asthma, living in Perth, Western Australia. Nutrition & Dietetics 2004; 61 (1): 30-37.

 10

Burke V, Beilin LJ, Simmer K, Oddy WH, Blake KV, Doherty D, Kendall GE, Newnham JP, Landau LI, Stanley FJ. Predictors of body mass index and associations with cardiovascular risk factors in Australian children: a prospective cohort study. International Journal of Obesity 2005; 29: 15-23.

 11

Burke V, Beilin LJ, Simmer K, Oddy WH, Blake KV, Doherty D, Kendall GE, Newnham JP, Landau LI, Stanley FJ. Breastfeeding and overweight: longitudinal analysis in an Australian birth cohort. Journal of Pediatrics 2005; 147 (1): 56-61.

 12

Oddy WH, Li J, Landsborough L, Kendall GE, Henderson S, Downie J. The association of maternal overweight and obesity with breastfeeding duration. Journal of Pediatrics 2006; 149 (2):185-91.

 13

DiCandilo K, Oddy WH, Miller M, Sloan N, Kendall GE, de Klerk NH. Follow-up phone-calls increase nutrient intake estimated by three-day food diaries in 13 year old participants of the Raine study. Nutrition and Dietetics 2007; 64:

 14

 Huang RC, Beilin LJ, Burke V, Newnham JP, Kendall GE, Landau LI, Oddy W, Palmer LJ, Stanley FJ. Risk of Metabolic Syndrome at age 8 is influenced by birthweight, maternal smoking during pregnancy, breastfeeding and postnatal weight gain. International Journal of Obesity 2007; 31; 236-244

 15

 Li J, Kendall G, Henderson S, Downie J, Landsborough L Oddy WH. Maternal psychosocial well-being in pregnancy and breastfeeding duration. Acta Pædiatrica 2008; 97: 221-5.

 16

Robinson, M., Oddy, W. H., Li, J., Kendall, G. E., de Klerk, N. H., Silburn, S. R., Zubrick, S.R., Newnham, J.P., Stanley, F.J. & Mattes, E. (2008). Pre- and postnatal influences on preschool mental health: A large-scale cohort study. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 49(10), 1118-1128