Growth of term infants fed a commercial infant formula with a protein content of 2.2 g/100 kcal: an observational follow-up study

Figures & data

Table 1. Nutritional composition of renewed commercial infant formula.

	Formula A	Formula B	(Ref) Breast milk^a,b,c
Protein^d(g)	2.20	2.30	1.47–2.33
Fat (g)	5.16	5.13	4.2–6.6
Arachidonic acid^d	0.013	0.0051	0.013–0.024
Docosahexaenoic acid^d	0.020	0.020	0.019–0.066
Carbohydrate (g)	11.4	11.4	8.9–13.9
Fructo-oligosaccharides	0.40	0.40	N/A
Amino acid (mg)
Isoleucine	124	126	66–114
Leucine	216	216	128–224
Lysine	182	175	86–150
Methionine + cystine	88	82	49–87
Phenylalanine + tyrosine	173	160	95–173
Threonine	131	130	57–103
Tryptophan	37	40	21–43
Valine	137	135	72–124
Histidine	60	62	36–70
Arginine	60	66	43–79

^aJapanese breast milk composition based on Yamawaki N (2005) [16].

^bRange from the mean minus standard deviation to the mean plus standard deviation.

^cMean and standard deviation of docosahexaenoic acid in breastmilk were geometrically calculated.

^dFor commercially available infant formulas other than Formula A in Japan, the concentrations of protein, arachidonic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid are 2.15–2.38, 0–0.008 and 0–0.014 g/100 kcal, respectively.

Table 2. Baseline characteristics of Formula A-fed and breastfed infants.

	Boys		Girls
	Formula A-fed	Breastfed	Formula A-fed	Breastfed
n	47	155	52	140
Gestational age, weeks	39.5 ± 1.0	39.5 ± 1.1	39.4 ± 1.2	39.7 ± 1.0
Cesarean section, n (%)	10 (21%)	19 (12%)	12 (20%)^a	12 (9%)
Birth weight, kg	3.14 ± 0.33	3.16 ± 0.31	3.01 ± 0.34^a	3.13 ± 0.33
Body mass index, kg/m^2	12.6 ± 0.9	12.6 ± 0.9	12.4 ± 1.0	12.5 ± 1.0
Head circumference, cm	33.7 ± 1.3	33.8 ± 1.9	33.1 ± 1.4	33.3 ± 1.3

^aP < .05 based on a Fisher’s exact test or a Student’s t test (vs. breastfed group).

Figure 1. Flowchart of the analysis design.

BMI, body mass index; HC, head circumference

Figure 2. (a) Body weight, (b) body mass index, (c) head circumference, and (d) stool consistency up to 7 months of age. Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures showed a significant time-dependent effect (P < .05), but no group-dependent effects or group-by-time interaction effects in any of the growth measurements. Stool consistency was rated on 3 grades (watery, soft, and formed to hard). No differences between groups were observed at 1, 4, and 7 months of age (using a chi-squared test).

Figure 3. A follow-up of body weight, body mass index, and head circumference at 12 months of age. The numbers of Formula A-fed and breastfed infants are as follows: body weight in boys (n = 40 and n = 121) and in girls (n = 34 and n = 114), BMI in boys (n = 28 and n = 81) and in girls (n = 22 and n = 76), and health status in boys (n = 21 and n = 58) and in girls (n = 15 and n = 51), respectively. No differences were observed in any growth measurements at the 12-month follow-up based on a Student’s t-test.

Table 3. The number of infants who experienced fever, infections and allergies.

	0 to 6 months		0 to 12 months
	Formula A-fed	Breastfed	Formula A-fed	Breastfed
n	99	295	74	238
Fever (>38°C)	22 (22%)	66 (22%)	45 (61%)	166 (70%)
Otitis media	1 (1%)	8 (3%)	4 (5%)	31 (13%)
Influenza virus	2 (2%)	6 (2%)	4 (5%)	15 (6%)
Rotavirus	0 (0%)	2 (1%)	0 (0%)	4 (2%)
Eczema	26 (26%)	99 (34%)	30 (41%)	106 (45%)
Food allergy or atopic dermatitis	4 (4%)	11 (4%)	10 (14%)	45 (19%)

No differences were observed in the prevalence based on Fisher’s exact test.

Yamawaki N, Yamada M, Kan-no T, et al. Macronutrient, mineral and trace element composition of breast milk from Japanese women. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2005;19(2–3):171–181.

 PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar