Body Fat and Bone Mineral Content of Infants Fed Breast Milk, Cow's Milk Formula, or Soy Formula during the First Year of Life

Objective To characterize growth, fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and bone mineral content (BMC) longitudinally in healthy infants fed breast milk (BM), cow's milk formula (CMF), or soy formula (SF) during the first year of life. Study design Infants were assessed at age 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Growth was evaluated using standard anthropometric techniques, and body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Mixed-effects models with repeated measures were used, adjusting for race, socioeconomic status, gestational age, birth weight, birth length, sex, age, and diet history. Results Compared with infants fed formulas, infants fed BM had higher FM at age 3 months, and lower FFM at age 6-12 months ( P