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Associations between infant feeding and the size, tempo and velocity of infant weight gain: SITAR analysis of the Gemini twin birth cohort.

Johnson, L; van Jaarsveld, CH; Llewellyn, CH; Cole, TJ; Wardle, J; (2014) Associations between infant feeding and the size, tempo and velocity of infant weight gain: SITAR analysis of the Gemini twin birth cohort. Int J Obes (Lond) , 38 (7) pp. 980-987. 10.1038/ijo.2014.61. Green open access

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Abstract

Objective:Infant growth trajectories, in terms of size, tempo and velocity, may program lifelong obesity risk. Timing of breastfeeding cessation and weaning are both implicated in rapid infant growth; we examined the association of both simultaneously with a range of growth parameters.Design:Longitudinal population-based twin birth cohortSubjects:The Gemini cohort provided data on 4680 UK infants with a median of 10 (IQR 8-15) weight measurements between birth and a median of 6.5 months. Age at breastfeeding cessation and weaning were reported by parents at mean age 8.2 months (s.d. 2.2, range 4-20). Growth trajectories were modelled using SITAR to generate three descriptors of individual growth relative to the average trajectory: size (grams), tempo (weeks, indicating the timing of the peak growth rate), and velocity (% difference from average, reflecting mean growth rate). Complex-samples general linear models adjusting for family clustering and confounders examined associations between infant feeding and SITAR parameters.Results:Longer breastfeeding (> 4 months vs. never) was independently associated with lower growth velocity by 6.8% (s.e.m. 1.3%), and delayed growth tempo by 1.0 (s.e. 0.2 weeks), but not with smaller size. Later weaning ( 6 months vs.<4 months) was independently associated with lower growth velocity by 4.9% (s.e.m. 1.1%) and smaller size by 102 g (s.e.m. 25 g).Conclusions:Infants breastfed for longer grew slower for longer after birth (later peak growth rate) but were no different in size, while infants weaned later grew slower overall and were smaller but the timing of peak growth did not differ. Slower trajectories with a delayed peak in growth may have beneficial implications for programming later obesity risk. Replication in cohorts with longer follow-up, alternative confounding structures or randomised controlled trials are required to confirm the long-term effects and directionality, and to rule out residual confounding.International Journal of Obesity accepted article peview online, 11 April 2014. doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.61.

Type: Article
Title: Associations between infant feeding and the size, tempo and velocity of infant weight gain: SITAR analysis of the Gemini twin birth cohort.
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2014.61
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.61
Additional information: © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
Keywords: growth; infancy; weaning; breastfeeding; SITAR; gemini
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Population, Policy and Practice Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1427326
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