Food Intake and Growth of Infants between Six and Twenty‐six Weeks of Age on Breast Milk, Cow's Milk Formula, or Soy Formula

Abstract

In 59 normal infants attending well-baby clinics, food consumption was registered until 26 and growth until 52 wk of age. They were either breast-fed or formula-fed with a cow''s milk product or a soy protein product. The average consumption of breastmilk was 746, 796, 722 and 689 g/day at 6, 14, 22 and 26 wk, respectively. Bottle-fed infants received larger volumes, and at 6 and 14 wk were the calculated total energy intakes significantly higher than in breast-fed infants. No differences were seen between the feeding groups with respect to length and the sum of foreskin folds. The soy formula-fed children, who happened to be 200 g heavier at birth, had lower weight gains during the first 6 wk than the other 2 groups. The average weights of the soy formula group did not differ from the other 2 groups. At 3 mo., the soy formula-fed children displayed a slower mineralization and maturation of bone, but the difference was no longer significant when re-examined at 6 mo. Formulas based on soy protein isolates seem to be acceptable as substitutes for cow''s milk formulas in feeding normal infants.