title: Feeding effects on growth during infancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effects of formula, other milks, other liquids, cereals, and other solid foods on growth during infancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational cohort study nested within a large (n=17,046), cluster-randomized trial. We compared growth [weight-for-age, length-for-age, and weight-for-length z scores (WAZ, LAZ, WLZ) and head circumference (HC)] during the intervals 1 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 to 12 months, using hierarchical multivariate regression to control for size at the beginning of each interval, maternal education, geographic region, and urban versus rural location.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mixed BF and formula/other milk were associated with significantly higher (versus breast milk only) LAZ at 1 to 3 months (+0.038 and +0.047, respectively). In the 3- to 6-month interval, mixed BF and formula/other milk led to significantly higher WAZ (+0.125 and +0.139) and LAZ (+0.081 and +0.075), whereas cereal intake was associated with large and highly significant reductions in both measures (-0.293 and -0.240) and in HC (-0.291 cm). Mixed BF and formula/other milk continued to have positive albeit smaller associations with WAZ and LAZ in the 6- to 9-month and 9- to 12-month intervals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results confirm the growth-accelerating effects of formula and other milks (versus breast milk) on weight and length gain throughout infancy, with a dose-response gradient and largest associations observed at 3 to 6 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. michael.kramer@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Platt
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vanilovich
authors.forename: Zinaida
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sevkovskaya
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dzikovich
authors.forename: Kim F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Michaelsen
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dewey
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002508:Cephalometry; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002523:Edible Grain; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D041943:Infant Formula / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development*; D008895:Milk, Human; D012016:Reference Values; D014867:Water / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014867:Water