The effect of prebiotic intervention foods on caregiver-reported infant sleep and caregiver sleep quality during complementary feeding- secondary analysis of a randomized control trial

Xiaoxi Fu; Amy L Lovell; Clare R Wall; Teresa Gontijo De Castro; Yannan Jiang; Robyn L Lawrence; Nisha Mahawar; Barbara C Galland

doi:10.1080/1028415X.2026.2635535

The effect of prebiotic intervention foods on caregiver-reported infant sleep and caregiver sleep quality during complementary feeding- secondary analysis of a randomized control trial

Xiaoxi Fu, Amy L Lovell, Clare R Wall, Teresa Gontijo De Castro, Yannan Jiang, Robyn L Lawrence, Nisha Mahawar Barbara C Galland

Nutritional neuroscience

27/02/2026

: https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2026.2635535

https://hdl.handle.net/10523/49898

Complementary feeding

sleep problem

infant sleep

wakefulness

prebiotic food

parental sleep

Background: Sleep is essential for infant health and cognitive development. Poor sleep increases the risk of childhood obesity and weakens immune health. Infant sleep is a major concern for parents, as disruptions can impact parental sleep and overall well-being, leading to various negative consequences. Prebiotic foods introduced during the complementary feeding period may potentially improve infant sleep and, consequently, parental sleep. However, to our knowledge, no studies have yet explored this relationship. Methods: As a secondary outcome analysis of a three-arm parallel randomized control trial (ACTRN12620000026921), this paper compared the effects of kūmara (K group, n = 93) or kūmara with added resistant starch (K+ group, n = 93) to a control group (n = 95) on infant sleep and caregiver sleep quality during the first four months of complementary feeding. Infant and caregiver sleep were subjectively assessed at baseline (prior to solids), and at two (Complementary Feeding 2, CF2) and four (Complementary Feeding 4, CF4) months post-introduction to solids, using the caregiver-reported Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ) and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) scales for Sleep Disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment, respectively. Results: Compared to the control group, infants in the K group had significantly less nocturnal wakefulness (8.4 min, p = 0.023) at CF4. The K+ group showed a near-significant increase in daytime sleep (11.4 min, p = 0.053) but also trends toward more reports of problematic nighttime sleep at CF2. Caregiver sleep outcomes did not differ significantly. Discussion: Kūmara consumption may reduce nocturnal wakefulness in infants, but further research incorporating objective sleep measures and exploring underlying mechanisms is needed. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry identifier: ACTRN12620000026921.

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The effect of prebiotic intervention foods on caregiver-reported infant sleep and caregiver sleep quality during complementary feeding- secondary anal1.50 MB

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https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2026.2635535

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: The effect of prebiotic intervention foods on caregiver-reported infant sleep and caregiver sleep quality during complementary feeding- secondary analysis of a randomized control trial
: Xiaoxi Fu
Amy L Lovell
Clare R Wall
Teresa Gontijo De Castro
Yannan Jiang
Robyn L Lawrence
Nisha Mahawar
Barbara C Galland
: Nutritional neuroscience
: Paediatrics and Child Health (DSM)
: Taylor & Francis
: High Value Nutrition National Science Challenge / New Zealand Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment
: 27/02/2026
: Copyright © The Author(s) 2026. This work was first published in Nutritional Neuroscience (Taylor & Francis). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided that the original work is properly attributed to the creator(s) and the source, a link to the Creative Commons license is provided, and any changes made are indicated.
: English
: Journal article