Purpose: The aim of this study was a comparison of body weight increase rate in two groups of children up to 18 months of age. The first group was fed with cow s milk formula. The second group due to allergy or cow milk intolerance was fed with milk-replacing mixtures: hydrolyzates with higher rate of protein hydrolysis or soya preparations.
Patients and method: In the analysed group of 332 children, 135 children were fed with cow's milk formulas, 142 children were given no-milk diet based on protein hydrolyzates and another 55 were fed with soya mixtures. The average body weight increase values were analysed in three months periods of half-years of life and in relation to gender and type of feeding. The obtained results were analysed statistically.
Results: There were statistically significant greater mean monthly increments of body weight in male children fed with cow's milk formulas as compared to male children fed with hydrolyzates in the first quarter and in the first half-year of life and male infants fed with soya mixtures. In subsequent three and six months periods no statistically significant differences in mean monthly values of body weight increase in relation to type of nutrition were found.