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Associations of breastfeeding or formula feeding with infant anthropometry and body composition at 6 months

Muna J Tahir1, Keisuke Ejima2,3, Peng Li4,5

  • 1Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Maternal & Child Nutrition
|November 4, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Infant body composition at 6 months shows differences based on feeding. Breastfed infants had less fat-free mass and higher body fat percent compared to formula-fed infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Infant Growth and Development
  • Body Composition Analysis

Background:

  • Infant feeding practices significantly influence growth and development.
  • Understanding early body composition is crucial for long-term health outcomes.
  • Previous studies suggest differences in infant body composition by feeding mode.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations between infant feeding mode (breastfeeding vs. formula feeding) and anthropometric and body composition variables.
  • To analyze body composition at 6 months of age in relation to exclusive breastfeeding or formula feeding up to 1 month.
  • To determine if feeding mode impacts key infant body composition metrics like fat mass and fat-free mass.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 259 infants with confirmed exclusive feeding (breast or formula) to 1 month was studied.
  • Infant anthropometrics (weight, length, z-scores) and body composition (fat mass, fat-free mass, trunk fat, body fat percent) were measured at 6 months.
  • Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used for precise body composition measurements.
  • General linear models were employed to assess associations, adjusting for maternal and infant covariates.

Main Results:

  • At 6 months, breastfed infants exhibited lower fat-free mass (P = .003) and greater body fat percent (P < .001) compared to formula-fed infants.
  • Trunk fat mass was also significantly greater in breastfed infants (P = .032).
  • These findings remained significant after adjusting for relevant covariates.

Conclusions:

  • Breastfeeding is associated with lower fat-free mass and higher body fat percent in infants at 6 months of age.
  • These results align with prior research indicating greater fat-free mass in formula-fed infants during the first six months.
  • Further research is needed to explore the persistence of these body composition differences and to establish causality.

Keywords:
anthropometrybody compositionbreastfeedingchildhood obesityearly growthinfant formula

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