I
was about to cite sources for studies supporting the statement that
breastfeeding helps to prevent obesity later in childhood and even
adulthood, but I see someone else already has. Thanks! :-) I will
include a quote from one study, however. It can be found at
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7203/147?view=full&target=
and states: "Conclusions: In industrialised countries promoting
prolonged breast feeding may help decrease the prevalence of obesity in
childhood. Since obese children have a high risk of becoming obese
adults, such preventive measures may eventually result in a reduction
in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and other diseases related
to obesity."
Obesity isn't the only reason I chose to breastfeed, but it can't be
discounted as a benefit of breastfeeding. There is just too much
research out there supporting it!
By Sam
http://www.lalecheleague.org/cbi/OutcomesApril2006.pdf
OUTCOMES OF BREASTFEEDING
VERSUS FORMULA FEEDING
Most recent update: April 2006 by Ginna Wall, MN, IBCLC,
gwall@u.washington.edu
>Whereas a recently published metaanalysis showed that ever
breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity in childhood
significantly, the recent literature describing the relationship
between duration of breastfeeding and risk of overweight or
obesity in childhood remains inconclusive. Between November 2000 and
November 2001, all mothers and their newborns were recruited after
delivery at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the
University of Ulm, Germany. Active followup was performed at the age of
12 months and 24 months. Of the 1066 children included in the baseline
examination, information on body mass index was available for 855 (80%)
at the 2year followup.
At this age 72 children (8.4%) were overweight and 24 (2.8%) were
severely overweight. Whereas 76 children (8.9%) were never breastfed,
533 children (62.3%) were breastfed for at least 6 months, and 322
children (37.7%) were exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months.
Compared to children who were breastfed for less than 3 months, the
adjusted odds ratio (OR) for overweight was 0.4 in children who were
breastfed for at least 6 months. When considering the time of exclusive
breastfeeding, the adjusted OR for overweight was 0.8 in children who
were exclusively breastfed for at least 3 but less than 6 months and
0.4 in children who were exclusively breastfed for at least 6 months
compared to children who were exclusively breastfed less than 3 months.
These results highlight the importance of prolonged breastfeeding for
the prevention of overweight in children. Weyermann M, Rothenbacher D,
Brenner H. Duration of breastfeeding and risk of overweight in
childhood: a prospective birth cohort study from Germany. Int J Obes.
2006 Feb 28.
Cohort analyses suggesting that breastfeeding protects against being
overweight have been criticized for inadequately
controlling for confounding associated with the selfselection of
feeding practices. Using nationally representative U.S. data from the
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (19941996), we
performed traditional cohort analyses (n = 11,998) using logistic
regression to estimate the relation between breastfeeding and
adolescent overweight (body mass index > or =85 percentile, based on
year 2000 CDC growth charts), controlling for known potential
confounders. Breastfeeding also was assessed in a subsample of 850
sibling pairs to account for unmeasured genetic and environmental
factors. Among girls in the full cohort, the odds of being overweight
declined among those who had been breastfed at least 9 months; odds
ratios ranged from 0.90 for <3 months of breastfeeding to 0.78 for
> or =9 months. A similar effect was seen in boys, although these
trends were less consistent. In contrast, an analysis of sibling pairs
provided no evidence of breastfeeding effects on weight within
discordant trends. CONCLUSION: Cohort data indicate that odds of being
overweight decrease as breastfeeding duration increases, at least among
girls. However, sibling analyses suggest that this relationship may not
be causal but rather attributable to unmeasured confounding related to
mothers' choice to breastfeed, or to other childhood risk factors for
overweight. Our results illustrate the utility of sibling analyses in
understanding the true effect of early life exposures (such as
breastfeeding) on health outcomes over time, independent of confounding
factors that may not be satisfactorily controlled using traditional
prospective cohort methods. Nelson MC, GordonLarsen P, Adair LS. Are
adolescents who were breastfed less likely to be overweight? Analyses
of sibling pairs to reduce confounding. Epidemiology.
2005 Mar;16(2):24753.
To examine whether increasing duration of breastfeeding is associated
with a lower risk of overweight in a lowincome
population of 4yearolds in the United States, 177,304 children up to 60
months of age were included in the final pediatric only analysis, and
12587 were included in the pregnancy pediatric linked analysis. The
duration of breastfeeding showed a doseresponse, protective
relationship with the risk of overweight only among nonHispanic
whites; no significant association was found among nonHispanic blacks
or Hispanics. Among nonHispanic
whites, the adjusted odds ratio of overweight by breastfeeding for 6 to
12 months versus never breastfeeding was 0.70 and for > 12 months
versus never was 0.49. Breastfeeding for any duration was also
protective against underweight (BMIforage below the 5th percentile).
Prolonged
breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of overweight among
nonHispanic white children. Breastfeeding longer than April 2006 6
months provides health benefits to children well beyond the period of
breastfeeding. GrummerStrawn LM; Mei Z. “Does Breastfeeding protect
against pediatric overweight? Analysis of longitudinal data from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pediatric Nutrition
Surveillance System.” Pediatrics. Feb 1 2004; 113 (2):8186
Crosssectional survey data collected in 1991 on 33,768 schoolchildren
aged 6 to 14 years in the Czech Republic. Overall prevalence of
overweight (obesity) was lower in breastfed children: ever breastfed
(9.3%) compared with never breastfed (12.4%). The effect of
breastfeeding on overweight/obesity did not diminish with age in
children 6 to 14 years old and could not be explained by parental
education, parental obesity, maternal smoking, high birth weight,
watching television, number of siblings, and physical activity.
Adjusted odds ratios for breastfeeding were for overweight 0.80 (95%
CI, 0.710.90) and for obesity 0.80 (95% CI, 0.660.96).
A reduced prevalence of overweight/obesity was associated with
breastfeeding in a setting where socioeconomic status was homogeneous.
This suggests that the effect of breastfeeding on the prevalence of
obesity is not confounded by socioeconomic status. Toschke AM et al
“Overweight and obesity in 6 to 14yearold Czech children in 1991:
Protective effect of breastfeeding.”
J Pediatr 2002;141:7649 December 2002.
Populationbased sample of 32,200 Scottish children studied at age 3942
months. The prevalence of obesity was
significantly lower in breastfed children, and the association
persisted after adjustment for socioeconomic status, birthweight, and
sex. The adjusted odds ratio for obesity (bodymass index greater than
or equal to 98th percentile) was 0.70. Results suggest that
breastfeeding is associated with a reduction in childhood obesity risk.
ArmstrongJ ; ReillyJJ.
“Breastfeeding and lowering the risk of childhood obesity.” Lancet. Jun
8 2002; 359 (9322): 20032004.
In this Harvard survey of 8186 girls and 7155 boys, aged 9 to 14 years,
overweight status was defined as body mass index exceeding the 95th
percentile for age and sex from US national data. In the first 6 months
of life, 9553 subjects (62%) were only or mostly fed breast milk, and
4744 (31%) were only or mostly fed infant formula. A total of 7186
subjects (48%) were breastfed for at least 7 months while 4613 (31%)
were breastfed for 3 months or less. At ages 9 to 14 years, 404 girls
(5%) and 635 boys (9%) were overweight. Among subjects who had been
only or mostly fed breast milk, compared with those only or mostly fed
formula, the odds ratio (OR) for being overweight was 0.78, after
adjustment for age, sex, sexual maturity, energy intake, time watching
television, physical activity, mother's body mass index, and other
variables reflecting social, economic, and lifestyle factors. Compared
with subjects who had been breastfed for 3 months or less, those who
had been breastfed for at least 7 months had an adjusted OR for being
overweight of 0.80. Timing of introduction of solid foods, infant
formula, or cow's milk was not related to risk of being
overweight. Infants who were fed breast milk more than infantformula,
or who were breastfed for longer periods, had a lower risk of being
overweight during older childhood and [adolescence. Gillman MW et al.
Risk of Overweight Among Adolescents Who Were Breastfed as Infants.
JAMA 2001 May 16;285(19):24612467.
A German study of 9357 children aged 56 years of age found that infants
fed only breastmilk until 35 months were more than a third less likely
to be obese than infants fed formula from the start. Infants breastfed
exclusively for 612
months were 43% less likely to be obese. Breastfeeding beyond 12 months
was better still, giving infants a 72% lower chance of becoming obese
children. After adjusting for potential confounding factors,
breastfeeding remained a significant protective factor against the
development of obesity. von Kries, R. "Breast feeding and obesity:
cross sectional study." BMJ 1999; 319: 147 150.
This Swedish study examined the relations between length of
breastfeeding, growth, and body composition in a group of 781
adolescents. Data on feeding pattern in infancy and on weight and
height from birth up to 18 years were collected. Both boys and girls
who were exclusively breastfed for more than 3 months were leaner and
showed a trend towards lower skinfold values. Tulldahl J, Pettersson K,
Andersson SW, Hulthen L. “Mode of infant feeding and achieved growth in
adolescence:
early feeding patterns in relation to growth and body composition in
adolescence.” Obes Res 1999 Sep;7(5):4317 <
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