Aiming to explore the direction of the cause-effect relationship between the changes in the nutritional status, the physical growth and the selected acute infections, we performed a meta-analysis. It was based on 12 publications selected out of 993 eligible. In 6 papers (50%) a direct relationship between infections and growth velocity was found; in 5 a negative association was reported. A positive association between malnutrition (Gómez's criteria) and infection was found in 4 (33%). Two more reported no association between growth (Z score) and infection. The most remarkable confounding variables were: previous episodes of infection, duration, birth weight and feeding mode. Most of the studies did not met the criteria for causality. Better designed studies are in order to address this question.