NNI BITES, BIG LEARNINGS

In this new series of NNI Bites, Big Learnings, we are featuring episodes covering the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103. In this episode, Dr. Yvan Vandenplas speaks with Dr. Antje Körner about childhood obesity as a complex, multifactorial disease that takes root in the earliest years of life. Dr. Körner highlights that obesity is not simply a nutritional issue but rather the result of a complex interplay between genetic predisposition, biology, and environment — with parental overweight being the strongest single risk factor for childhood obesity. She calls for early identification of high-risk children through well-child visits and precision prevention strategies, stressing that obesity must be recognized as a chronic, progressive disease with complex biological and environmental origins.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

In this new series of NNI Bites, Big Learnings, we are featuring episodes covering the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103. In this episode, Dr. Yvan Vandenplas speaks with Dr. Rosan Meyer about how early complementary feeding practices shape food allergy outcomes in infants. Dr. Meyer highlights that a four-to-six-month window of opportunity exists for allergen introduction — with evidence from the LEAP and EAT studies showing that early introduction of peanut and egg significantly reduces allergy risk — while also emphasizing that introduction before four months offers no benefit and may be harmful. She further encourages a holistic approach to complementary feeding that prioritizes dietary diversity across different food groups, culturally appropriate foods, and enjoyment — rather than focusing solely on allergy prevention.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

In this new series of NNI Bites, Big Learnings, we are featuring episodes covering the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103. In this episode, Dr. Yvan Vandenplas speaks with Professor Nadja Haiden about supporting the nutritional needs of preterm infants after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit. Professor Haiden emphasizes that post-discharge nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and that success depends on individualized monitoring, parental support, and timely interventions — with the goal of achieving proportional catch-up growth while preserving the benefits of human milk feeding. She also highlights the importance of proactive micronutrient supplementation, particularly vitamin D and iron, and notes that complementary feeding timing in preterm infants should be guided by corrected age and neuromotor developmental readiness rather than chronological age alone.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

In this new series of NNI Bites, Big Learnings, we are featuring episodes covering the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103. In this episode, Professor Raanan Shamir interviews Dr. Natália Ferré about early metabolic programming and the role of dietary protein in obesity prevention. Dr. Ferré explains that the early protein hypothesis suggests higher protein intake in the first months of life is linked to rapid growth and later obesity risk — a concept first demonstrated in the CHOP study, where infants consuming lower-protein formula showed significantly reduced obesity risk by six years of age. She also shares early findings from the ToMI study, which is exploring whether this critical intervention window can be extended into the second year of life, with further analyses on long-term outcomes, epigenetics, and metabolomics still underway.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

In this new series of NNI Bites, Big Learnings, we are featuring episodes covering the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103. In this episode, Professor Raanan Shamir speaks with Professor Patrick Tounian about the role of young child formula in meeting the nutritional needs of toddlers beyond infancy. Professor Tounian explains that without young child formula, it is remarkably difficult for toddlers to meet their daily iron requirements through diet alone, and that untreated iron deficiency in early life can lead to irreversible neurological damage and lifelong cognitive impairment. He recommends young child formula until children are able to consume adequate amounts of meat — typically not before three to six years of age — and also highlights the importance of plant oils and fatty fish in meeting essential fatty acid and DHA needs.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

In this episode of NNI Bites, Big Learnings featuring the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103, Professor Raanan Shamir interviews Dr. Sean Deoni about the critical role of nutrition in early brain development. Dr. Deoni explains that the brain grows by approximately a factor of three in the first two years of life, with myelination requiring a precise combination of fatty acids, DHA, choline, cholesterol, and — as revealed by the RESONANCE study — niacin, which supports both synaptic transmission and myelin synthesis. He concludes that nutrition's impact on neurodevelopment is both profound and modifiable, and that when paired with stimulation and responsive caregiving, optimal early nutrition offers significant potential to support children's long-term cognitive development.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

In this new series of NNI Bites, Big Learnings, we are featuring episodes covering the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103. In this episode, Professor Raanan Shamir speaks with Professor Ciarán Forde about how children learn to eat during the first two years of life. Professor Ford explains that the ability to bite, chew, and swallow is entirely learned — not innate — and that early, progressive texture exposure is essential not only for developing feeding skills and dietary preferences, but also for healthy oral anatomical development. He also draws on data from the GUSTO cohort to show that obesogenic eating styles — such as faster eating rates and eating in the absence of hunger — emerge early and consistently track with excess adiposity over time.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

In this episode of NNI Bites, Big Learnings featuring the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103 series, Professor Raanan Shamir speaks with Dr. Julie Lanigan about optimising early childhood nutrition across the first years of life. Dr. Lanigan shares that the first 1,000 days are a uniquely important window for growth and the formation of dietary habits, and that new data from the MILQ study suggests that the micronutrient content of human milk may be lower than previously estimated — making the quality of complementary foods more important than ever. She also emphasizes that during the preschool years, family modeling behaviors such as eating together and involving children in food preparation are practical and powerful strategies for shaping healthy, lifelong dietary patterns.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute

In this episode of NNI Bites, Big Learnings, we are covering the NNI & WNSC Workshop 103 series. In the first episode, Dr. Yvan Vandenplas interviews Professor Raanan Shamir about the importance of complementary feeding in early childhood. Professor Shamir emphasizes that timing is critical — with a four-to-six-month window recommended by most societies — and that both early and late introduction carry distinct risks, including non-communicable diseases, food allergy, and nutritional inadequacy. He further highlights that healthy complementary feeding goes beyond nutrition, influencing microbiome composition and allergy prevention, and should consist of a diverse, nutrient-dense diet rich in fiber, iron, zinc, and omega-3, and low in sugar, salt, and ultra-processed products.

For Healthcare Professionals Only
Nestlé Nutrition Institute