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Growth of Japanese breast-fed and bottle-fed infants from birth to 20 months
K Yoneyama1, H Nagata, H Asano
1Nara University of Education, Japan.
Insights
Breast-fed infants tend to be lighter than bottle-fed infants between 6 and 20 months. Overfeeding may explain weight differences, suggesting tailored growth curves for breast-fed infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infant Nutrition
- Growth Monitoring
Background:
- Infant feeding practices significantly influence growth patterns.
- Existing growth charts may not fully represent exclusively breast-fed infants.
- Understanding feeding-related growth differences is crucial for accurate assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze longitudinal growth data (weight and length) from birth to 20 months in relation to infant feeding type.
- To investigate potential reasons for observed weight discrepancies between breast-fed and bottle-fed infants.
- To provide recommendations for establishing appropriate infant growth curves.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of longitudinal data from 318 healthy infants from birth to 20 months of age.
- Comparison of growth patterns between exclusively breast-fed, bottle-fed, and mixed-fed infants.
- Statistical evaluation to identify feeding-related growth differences.
Main Results:
- Confirmed significant differences in growth patterns based on feeding type.
- Breast-fed infants were generally lighter between 6 and 20 months compared to bottle- or mixed-fed infants.
- Overfeeding of bottle-fed infants is suggested as a contributing factor to weight differences.
Conclusions:
- Infant feeding type impacts growth trajectories.
- The tendency for breast-fed infants to be lighter may be linked to avoiding overfeeding.
- Standard growth curves for breast-fed infants should be based on exclusively breast-fed populations.
Abstract:
Longitudinal data for weight and length from birth to the 20th month of age obtained from 318 healthy infants were analysed in relation to type of feeding during infancy (breast- or bottle-fed). Differences in the growth patterns of infants according to the type of feeding were confirmed, breast-fed infants tending to be lighter in weight between 6 and 20 months of age than bottle- or mixed-fed infants. However, our analyses of the infants' growth patterns suggest that the differences in mean weight between breast- and bottle-fed infants may be due at least in part to overfeeding of bottle-fed infants. Thus, it is advisable that the standard growth curve for breast-fed infants be based on observations of the growth of a large number of infants who are fed on breast milk only.