Chrononutrition: use of dissociated day/night infant milk formulas to improve the development of the wake-sleep rhythms. Effects of tryptophan.

Three different lactation experiments have been tested in a double blind procedure for 3 weeks, to improve sleep-wake patterns in infants. In a control experiment, standard infant commercial milk (1.5% tryptophan) was administered without changes during the day. In a second control (inverse), enriched milk (3.4% tryptophan) was given during light-time (06.00-18.00h), and standard commercial milk during night-time (18.00-06.00h). During the experimental week, the infants received standard milk during light-time and tryptophan enriched milk during night-time. The infants receiving the enriched formula during dark time showed improvements in the sleep parameters studied, and no statistical differences were found between the two control lactations. The urinary metabolites of serotonin suggest that the observed improvements were due to an increased use of serotonin to melatonin synthesis. In conclusion, the chronobiological changes in the normal components of the diet can improve infantile development of sleep/wake rhythms.