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Subject:
From:
"Julia R. Barrett" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 23 May 2005 15:30:30 -0500
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patyoungz (Pat in SNJ) posted:

>Unfortunately the lead article in BMJ this week says something to the effect
>that risk factor for obesity is rapid gain in early infancy :-(  The figures
>are probably faulty because I bet they didn't look at feeding method.  Can't
>wait to get article, because other research has shown that BF infants aren't
>as fat when they are adult.
>
>Back to what's normal for humans and what's not :-(  Unfortunately we have
>so messed with the equation that we'll probably never really know what is
>normal for the human baby.

Did you see the April 19 Circulation article? There's a press release at 
<http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/511154/>; the full text of the study 
is available at <http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/111/15/1897>.

The study included 653 adults (ages 20-32) who'd been formula fed as 
infants. The authors conclude that rapid weight gain during the first week 
of life was associated with being overweight 20-30 years later. Although no 
breastfed infants were included in the study from which the population was 
drawn (it was a formula-feeding study), the authors do have this to say in 
the press release:

"Given that participants in the current study all received infant formula, 
Dr. Stettler says, it may be relevant that exclusive breastfeeding during 
early infancy is known to be associated with a slower rate of weight gain, 
and possibly with a lower risk of overweight in childhood and adolescence. 
'For a variety of health reasons, the American Association of Pediatrics 
recommends exclusive breastfeeding during a baby's first six months of 
life,' says Dr. Stettler. 'Although we cannot yet make specific 
recommendations about targets for newborn weight gain, we can certainly 
endorse breastfeeding.'"

The quote caught me off-guard at first--I was thinking of all those 
roly-poly 2- and 3-month-olds I've known. However, then I recalled that 
these kiddos all dropped a bit of weight in the first days after birth 
before rebounding to their birth weights. *Then* began the exponential 
growth. Obviously one doesn't want a baby starving, but it does seem some 
measure of weight loss is normal and healthy in the first week.

I'm eager to get a look at the BMJ article. It'll be interesting to see how 
they define "early infancy." Given the Circulation study, it'd seem there'd 
be some confounding if early infancy were defined as the first week or two 
versus the first month or two.

Thanks for the head's up, Pat!

regards,
Julia

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