The primary goal of this study is to determine the effect of infant diet (commercial baby food) vs. standard diet (table food) and early vs. late weaning on growth, body composition and bone metabolism. The children are followed from birth to 3 years of age. The last children recruited for this study have completed their 3-year visits in May 1998. We have obtained preliminary analyses of the data. Twelve month body composition were not significantly different between the different weaning groups, despite differences in nutrient intakes. A manuscript regarding these findings has been published in Pediatrics. The results include analyses of amount of sleep, sugar intake, and Fe and Zn status. We found that 1) sleeping through the night is affected by gender and not the timing of introduction of solids, 2) high sugar intake at 12 months of age is highly correlated with sugar intake at 24 months of age and 12 and 24 month data show a positive correlation between sugar and fat intake, 3) early introduction of solid foods results in higher Fe and lower Zn intakes early in life, but these differences do not appear to affect growth or biochemical markers of Fe or Zn at 12 months of age.
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