Infants born to overweight/obese mothers show accelerated growth during the first year of life even when breastfed, and fast growth is known to be an antecedent of later obesity

Data from 3 recently completed studies were pooled and analyzed to answer the question whether breastfed infants of overweight/obese mothers show accelerated growth. It was shown that these infants gain weight faster than indicated by the WHO standards and that they grow significantly faster than infants of lean mothers. The question whether fast infant growth can be slowed down by lowering the protein content of formulas was examined. It was shown that formulas with a protein content that is just moderately above that of human milk support normal growth while significantly slowing down fast growth. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel Published online: July 23, 2014 Prof. Ferdinand Haschke, MD Department of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University Müllner Haupstrasse 48 AT–5020 Salzburg (Austria) E-Mail ferdinand.haschke @ nestle.com © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel 0250–6807/14/0645–0019$39.50/0