Latent protective effects of breastfeeding on late childhood overweight and obesity: A nationwide prospective study. (17th March 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jwa, Seung Chik; Fujiwara, Takeo; Kondo, Naoki
• Is Part Of: Obesity. Volume 22:Number 6(2014:Jun.)
• Page Start: 1527
• Page End: 1537
• Publication Date: 2014-03-17
• Subjects: Obesity -- Periodicals; 616.398005
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.20735
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1930-7381

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="oby20735-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Objective</title> <p>To investigate the latent effect of breastfeeding on overweight and obesity in late childhood.</p> </sec> <sec id="oby20735-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>Data on breastfeeding and child anthropometric measurements were collected annually from a nation‐wide population‐based prospective cohort study in Japan (21, 425 boys and 20, 147 girls). Breastfeeding status (exclusiveness and duration) was assessed when the child was 6 months old. Mixed effects models were used to evaluate trajectories of body mass index (BMI), together with overweight and obesity status, from 1.5 to 8 years of age.</p> </sec> <sec id="oby20735-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Mixed‐fed boys and exclusively breastfed boys showed lower BMI as the main effect, as well as a slower increase of inclination in BMI as interaction term between feeding type and age, than exclusively formula‐fed boys. Breastfed boys had lower BMI at the ages of 7 and 8, in comparison with exclusively formula fed boys (<italic>P</italic> = 0.002 and <italic>P</italic> < 0.001, respectively). A similar association was found for girls, although the main effect of feeding type was not statistically significant. The analysis of breastfeeding duration had similar results.</p> </sec> <sec id="oby20735-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Breastfeeding, even if partial or for short duration, has a latent protective effect against overweight and obesity in late childhood, especially for boys.</p> </sec> </abstract>