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Published on: September 22, 2023
Risk of bottle-feeding for rapid weight gain during the first year of life
Ruowei Li1, Joselito Magadia, Sara B Fein
1National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. ril6@cdc.gov
Insights
Bottle-feeding infants, regardless of milk type, showed increased weight gain compared to breastfeeding. This suggests feeding method, not just milk type, impacts infant weight gain and childhood obesity risk.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Childhood Obesity Research
- Infant Nutrition
Background:
- Breastfeeding is associated with lower childhood obesity rates.
- The specific mechanisms linking feeding practices to infant weight gain require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between infant weight gain and the mode of milk delivery (breastfeeding vs. bottle-feeding).
- To differentiate the impact of feeding method from milk type on infant weight gain.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study followed 1,899 infants from birth to 1 year.
- Multilevel analyses assessed infant weight gain based on milk type and feeding mode (breastmilk vs. bottle).
Main Results:
- Infants fed exclusively by bottle gained significantly more weight per month than those breastfed.
- Weight gain was negatively associated with the proportion of breastmilk feedings and positively associated with bottle-feedings.
Conclusions:
- The mode of milk delivery (bottle-feeding) may independently influence infant weight gain.
- Bottle-feeding practices may play a distinct role in infant weight trajectories, irrespective of milk composition.
Objective:
To better understand the mechanisms behind breastfeeding and childhood obesity, we assessed the association of weight gain with the mode of milk delivery aside from the type of milk given to infants.
Design:
A longitudinal study of infants followed up from birth to age 1 year. Multilevel analyses were conducted to estimate infant weight gain by type of milk and feeding mode.
Setting:
Pregnant women were recruited from a consumer mail panel throughout the United States between May 2005 and June 2007.
Participants:
One thousand eight hundred ninety nine infants with at least 3 weight measurements reported during the first year.
Main Exposures:
Six mutually exclusive feeding categories and proportions of milk feedings given as breastmilk or by bottle.
Main Outcome Measures:
Weight measurements reported on 3-, 5-, 7-, and 12-month surveys.
Results:
Compared with infants fed at the breast, infants fed only by bottle gained 71 or 89 g more per month when fed nonhuman milk only (P < .001) or human milk only (P = .02), respectively. Weight gain was negatively associated with proportion of breastmilk feedings, but it was positively associated with proportion of bottle-feedings among those who received mostly breastmilk. Among infants fed only breastmilk, monthly weight gain increased from 729 g when few feedings were by bottle to 780 g when most feedings were by bottle.
Conclusions:
Infant weight gain might be associated not only with type of milk consumed but also with mode of milk delivery. Regardless of milk type in the bottle, bottle-feeding might be distinct from feeding at the breast in its effect on infants' weight gain.
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