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Infant weight gain
The answer is B.
A team of researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recently
concluded that babies can gain weight too quickly for their own good.
The research group studied more than 19,000 children born between 1959
and 1965, and found that babies who gained weight very quickly during
their first four months were more likely to be overweight at age 7 than
were other babies. It didn't matter how much they actually weighed at
birth or at one-year old. It was how quickly they put on the pounds
that counted.
But the researchers also warned there are still lots of questions to
be answered. It's possible, they said, that early fast weight gain is
due genetic factors kicking in that will make the children susceptible
to obesity. Or it may be that parents who overfeed their infants are
more likely to do so later in childhood as well.
Nonetheless, the researchers said the study results could help improve
our understanding of obesity issues. They also noted that the American
Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports breastfeeding as the best source
of nutrition for babies.
Resources
February 16, 2002
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