title: Milk consumption during pregnancy is associated with increased infant size at birth: prospective cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cow milk contains many potentially growth-promoting factors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to examine whether milk consumption during pregnancy is associated with greater infant size at birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  During 1996-2002, the Danish National Birth Cohort collected data on midpregnancy diet through questionnaires and on covariates through telephone interviews and ascertained birth outcomes through registry linkages. Findings were adjusted for mother's parity, age, height, prepregnant BMI, gestational weight gain, smoking status, and total energy intake; father's height; and family's socioeconomic status The analyses included data from 50,117 mother-infant pairs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean (+/-SD) consumption of milk was 3.1 +/- 2.0 glasses/d. Milk consumption was inversely associated with the risk of small-for gestational age (SGA) birth and directly with both large-for-gestational age (LGA) birth and mean birth weight (P for trend < 0.001). In a comparison of women drinking >or=6 glasses/d with those drinking 0 glasses/d, the odds ratio for SGA was 0.51 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.65) and for LGA was 1.59 (1.16, 2.16); the increment in mean birth weight was 108 g (74, 143 g). We also found graded relations (P < 0.001) for abdominal circumference (0.52 cm; 0.35, 0.69 cm), placental weight (26 g; 15, 38 g), birth length (increment: 0.31 cm; 0.15, 0.46 cm), and head circumference (0.13 cm; 0.04, 0.25 cm). Birth weight was related to intake of protein, but not of fat, derived from milk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Milk intake in pregnancy was associated with higher birth weight for gestational age, lower risk of SGA, and higher risk of LGA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. sfo@soci.au.dk
authors.forename: Sjurdur F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Thorhallur I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Halldorsson
authors.forename: Walter C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
authors.forename: Vibeke K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Gillman
authors.forename: Tina B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Mikkelsen
authors.forename: Jørn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000886:Anthropometry; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005320:Fetal Macrosomia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development*; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000254:growth & development; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D008892:Milk; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology