Infant nutrition for improvement in insulin sensitivity later in life

1. A method for reducing the risk of a metabolic syndrome disorder appearing later in life, the method comprising administering a nutritional composition that comprises at least 95 weight % casein based on the total protein content of the nutritional composition to an infant whose birth weight was normal or above normal, the nutritional composition further comprises a carbohydrate source, a lipid source, vitamins and minerals, the nutritional composition comprises 2.0 g protein/100 kcal to 5 g protein/100 kcal, wherein at least a portion of the casein is intact protein, wherein the nutritional composition is administered to the infant at least once per day for a time period that is from birth to 36 months of age.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition comprises 2.0 g protein/100 kcal to 2.2 g protein/100 kcal.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the nutritional composition comprises at least 99 weight % casein based on the total protein content of the nutritional composition.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the nutritional composition comprises 100 weight % casein based on the total protein content of the nutritional composition.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the disorder is selected from the group consisting of diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose, insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, overweight, obesity and microalbuminuria.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the casein in the nutritional composition is bovine.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the birth weight of the infant was normal.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the birth weight of the infant was above normal.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the infant was born to a mother who herself suffered or suffers from one or more metabolic syndrome disorders or from gestational diabetes.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition is administered to the infant during the weaning period.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the method is reducing the risk of a metabolic syndrome disorder later in life when exposed to an adipogenic diet.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the nutritional composition is a medical food.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the nutritional composition is an infant formula.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the infant has not undergone a period of catch-up growth following a period of growth restriction.

15. The method according to claim 1 wherein the infant had a non-restricted food intake and normal growth during infancy.