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Larger bottle size linked to greater infant weight gain
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Recent research in Pediatrics showed that use of larger bottles during early infancy contributed to greater weight gain and higher weight-for-length scores among formula-fed infants at age 6 months.
“Developing effective preventive interventions for obesity and its comorbidities requires understanding modifiable risk factors for obesity in early life,” Charles T. Wood, MD, MPH, of the division of general pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “To determine whether bottle size affects infant growth trajectories among exclusively formula-fed infants, we investigated the relationship between bottle size used at the 2-month visit and changes in weight by the 6-month visit.”
The researchers used data from a previous randomized controlled trial conducted at four pediatric centers to study bottle-size exposures among 865 infants at age 2 months and 6 months. The researchers compared changes in weight, weight-for-age z scores (WAZ) and weight-for-length z scores (WLZ) for infants exposed to regular-sized bottles (less than 6 oz) and large-sized bottles (6 oz or larger). Feeding behaviors and bottle size exposures were determined via questionnaire and by asking parents to show researchers a bottle they typically used for feeding.
Of the 386 infants who were exclusively formula-fed at 2 months, 44% were fed using large-sized bottles. When adjusted for potential confounders, the researchers observed that infants fed with these bottles had 0.21 kg greater weight change, 0.24 U more change in WAZ scores and 0.31 U greater change in WLZ scores vs. infants fed with regular-sized bottles. According to the results, changes in weight gain and WLZ were independently affected by bottle size.
“Given the complexity of infant growth, future research should consider influences such as feeding practices and should include rigorous measurement of intake and body composition,” Wood and colleagues wrote. “Nearly all parents use a bottle to feed their infant at some point during their infancy, and further efforts to more completely understand the mechanisms linking bottle-feeding, development of satiety responsiveness, and obesity risk may also inform obesity prevention interventions.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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