The food intake of 25 newborns during the first 3 days of life was recorded by a food dispenser. 296 machine-dispensed ad lib. meals were used to elucidate the food intake under
biological conditions. The time distribution of the amount of food consumed was described
by means of cumulative intake curves. The volume ingested during the first half of the drinking time was expressed as
a percentage of the total volume consumed. An index of 50 per cent would thus indicate
a linear food intake curve, whilst a 70 per cent value is typical for a negatively
accelerated intake curve. Pudel (11) discusses linear intake curves, which he mainly observed in obese subjects due
to disturbances in satiation control. The analysis of 50 test meals following 10 hrs.
food deprivation during the night gave an index for the average intake curve of 78.1
per cent. The remaining 200 meals taken every 3–5 hrs. led to an index of 62.8 per
cent. This difference is significant.
This study did not reveal any important relations between the body weight of the newborns
and their drinking curves. Linear drinking curves could not be recorded in any of
the infants. The hypothesis of a congenital disturbance in satiation and appetite control as a pathogenetic factor for obesity cannot be supported. Stronger feelings of hunger after a prolonged food deprivation
did not only result in an intake of larger amounts of food but was compensated through
a high sucking pressure in the first half of the total drinking times thus leading
to strong negatively accelerated intake curves.
Newborn infants - sucking behavior - drinking curves - satiation control
1 This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Sonderforschungsbereich 33, Göttingen
