Infant Weight Gain: Is It the Bottle or What's in It?

Breast-feeding is associated with less infant weight gain than formula feeding and might also lower risk for childhood obesity. One possible explanation for the more-rapid weight gain is that bottle-fed infants have difficulty regulating energy intake. Researchers examined the association between infant feeding patterns and weight gain during the first year of life in a national longitudinal study of 1899 children. Mothers (mostly white, married, and college educated) reported weight measurements at four time points and monthly percentages of feedings given by breast, breast milk from a bottle, and formula from a bottle.

Monthly weight gain was estimated using multilevel analyses and controlling for demographic factors, birth history, and in…