A Case Report of a Breastfed Infants Excessive Weight Gains over 14 Months

We report the case of an infant with excessive weight gains that persisted throughout 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding. The mother chose to continue breastfeeding despite medical advice to wean, and high weight gains continued for a further 8 months of breastfeeding and complementary foods. This is the first reported case of an exclusively breastfed infant with excessive weight gains (> 97th percentile) with contemporaneous measures of 24-hour breast milk intake and doses and concentrations of protein, fat, and energy. We found a high breast milk protein dose, which is associated with increased weight gain and lean body mass but not necessarily adiposity. It is likely that other influences also contributed to the high infant weight gain. High infant weight gain is multifactorial, with evolving evidence for the role of adipokines and genetic markers. Advice to replace breast milk with formula affects the dose-dependent protection from noncommunicable diseases afforded by breast milk and may not be an effective strategy for reducing adiposity.
Source: Journal of Human Lactation - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research