Abstract
BackgroundRapid weight gain (RWG) during infancy increases the risk of excess weight later in life. Nutrition- and feeding practices associated with RWG need to be further examined. The present study aimed to examine nutrition- and feeding practice-related risk factors for RWG during the first year of life.MethodsA population-based longitudinal birth cohort study of 1780 infants, classified as having RWG or non-RWG during 0–3-4, 0–6 and 6–12 months. RWG was defined as a change > 0.67 in weight standard deviation scores. Associations between nutrition- and feeding practice-related factors and RWG were examined with logistic regression models.ResultsOf the participating infants, 47% had RWG during 0–3-4 months, 46% during 0–6 months and 8% during 6–12 months. In the fully adjusted models, bottle-feeding at birth and at 3–4 months and nighttime meals containing formula milk were positively associated with RWG during 0–3-4 months (p < 0.05 for all). Breastfeeding at 3–4 months and nighttime meals containing breast milk were negatively associated with RWG during this period (p < 0.001). Bottle-feeding at birth, 3–4 and 6 months and nighttime meals containing formula milk at 3–4 months were positively associated with RWG during 0–6 months (p < 0.01 for all). Breastfeeding at 3–4 and 6 months was negatively associated with RWG (p < 0.01). During 6–12 months, only bottle-feeding at 3–4 months was positively associated with RWG (p < 0.05).ConclusionsRWG was more common during the first 6 months of life and bottle-feeding and formula milk given at night were risk factors for RWG during this period.
Highlights
Rapid weight gain (RWG) during infancy increases the risk of excess weight later in life
The infants with RWG during the first 3–4 months had a mean weight gain of 3.0 ± 0.6 kg compared to 2.2 ± 0.5 kg for infants with nRWG (p < 0.001)
When studying the content of what the infants were given at night, it was shown that breast milk at 3–4 months and at 6 months was negatively associated with RWG, whereas formula milk at 3–4 months was positively associated with RWG (Table 4)
Summary
Rapid weight gain (RWG) during infancy increases the risk of excess weight later in life. Nutrition- and feeding practices associated with RWG need to be further examined. The present study aimed to examine nutrition- and feeding practice-related risk factors for RWG during the first year of life. One identified risk factor for later overweight that has gained much attention in recent research is rapid weight gain (RWG), seen as upward centile crossing in weight growth charts and defined as a change > 0.67 in weight standard deviation scores (SDS) [4, 5]. RWG during the first two years of life has in a number of studies been associated with overweight or obesity in both childhood and adulthood [3,4,5]. Several studies have attempted to determine during what time period in infancy or childhood RWG predicts later adiposity but have come to mixed results [6, 7] early infancy has been suggested as a critical period [5]
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