European journal of clinical nutrition
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Children who are fed alternative and especially macrobiotic diets have been reported to be smaller and weigh less than their peers fed omnivorous diets. To answer the questions: at what age does growth in children on macrobiotic diets slow down, and is there any return to standards later in childhood, a cross-sectional anthropometric study was performed in the Dutch macrobiotic child population aged 0-8 years (n = 243). Addresses were obtained from macrobiotic organizations and from families already participating in the study. ⋯ A minimum level of 1 to 1.5 SD below the P50 of the reference was reached by the age of 18 months. Between 2 and 4 years a partial return towards the P50 occurred for arm circumference and, in boys only, for weight and skinfolds, but not for height. SDS of weight, height and arm circumference were higher in children from families with regular consumption of dairy products than in children from families avoiding dairy products.