Relation of infant diet to childhood health: seven years follow-up of cohort of children in Dundee infant feeding study

The authors studied 545 infants. After adjustment for the significant confounding variables the probability of ever having respiratory illness in children who received breast milk exclusively for at least 15 weeks was consistently lower (17%). The probability for partial breastfeeding was 31%. For bottle feeding it was 32.2%. Solid feeding before 15 weeks was associated with an increased probability of wheeze during childhood (21% vs. 9.7%). It was also associated with increased percentage body fat and weight in childhood. Systolic blood pressure was raised significantly in children who were exclusively bottle fed compared with children who received breast milk.