ROLE OF PROLONGED BREAST FEEDING IN INFANT GROWTH

Abstract. The growth of 238 healthy full-term infants was followed under a carefully monitored nutritional protocol during the first year of life. The infants were weaned at different ages either to a proprietary infant milk formula or to a home-prepared cow's milk formula. Solid foods were introduced at 3.5 months of age. The 56 infants who were breast-fed for a period of at least 6 months were compared to infants weaned prior to one month of age to one of the two milk regimens. In the breast-fed infants, the weight, weight-for-height-age, and skinfold thickness were similar to values in the proprietary formula-fed infants but were lower than the corresponding values in the cow's milk-fed infants at 6 months of age and subsequently. By using weight-for-height-age as a criterion, no obesity was found among any of the 238 infants, and only 1.7% were considered to be overweight. The results indicate that present recommendations for infant feeding in Finland—including prolonged breast feeding, the use of proprietary milk formulas after weaning, and later introduction of solid foods—prevent over-nutrition.