The effect of diet on weight gain in infancy

Data from a longitudinal survey of 92 mothers and their female infants supported the hypothesis that the method of feeding had an effect on weight gain. Nutritionists visited the homes monthly during the first 6 months after parturition and obtained both dietary and anthropometric information. The infants were grouped according to the method of feeding at 2 months. A two-factor experiment with repeated measures on one factor as the experimental design was used to test for the effects of diet on weight gain, length increment, and weight/length pattern. The difference between group mean weights adjusted for birthweight was significant with .05 < P < 0.1. One difference was between infants fed formula and solids and infants fed breast milk and food supplements but not between infants fed breast milk or formula alone. No significant differences among the feeding groups were noted in length and weight/length, but there was a tendency for higher weight in relation to height in the infants fed formula and solids.