The Association Between Early-Life Nutrition and Palatine Tonsil Grading in Preschool Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

By:
Guangwei Guo, Wanyun Yan, Ruifa Zhou, Lianhua Lü, Yitong Lu, Yuyong Pan, Jianhui Luo, Chengquan Wu, Meilian Chen, Dongmin Xie, Jiping Su
Date:
2026

This cross-sectional study investigated whether infant feeding practices and early-life nutrition are associated with palatine tonsil grading and tonsillar hypertrophy in preschool children. Conducted in Yulin City, China, the study included 2,786 children aged 2–7 years from 17 kindergartens, with 816 children providing both physical examination data and detailed parent-reported nutritional histories.

The study focused on how breastfeeding, formula feeding, mixed feeding, breastfeeding duration, timing of formula introduction, and complementary food introduction may influence palatine tonsil development. Researchers used the Brodsky grading scale to classify tonsil size and performed sex-stratified age-adjusted ordered logistic regression analyses.