Breast-feeding and Infant Hospitalization for Infections: Large Cohort and Sibling Analysis. Issue 2 (August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Størdal, Ketil; Lundeby, Karen M.; Brantsæter, Anne L.; Haugen, Margaretha; Nakstad, Britt; Lund-Blix, Nicolai A.; Stene, Lars C.
• Is Part Of: Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition. Volume 65:Issue 2(2017)
• Publication Date: 2017-08
• Subjects: human milk -- infancy -- infectious disease -- weaning; Children -- Nutrition -- Periodicals; Pediatric gastroenterology -- Periodicals; Infants -- Nutrition -- Periodicals; Nutrition disorders in children -- Periodicals; Child Nutrition -- Periodicals; Digestive System -- growth & development -- Periodicals; Gastrointestinal Diseases -- Periodicals; Infant Nutrition -- Periodicals; Nutrition Disorders -- Periodicals; Child; 618.923
• DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001539
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0277-2116

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Breast-feeding may protect against infections, but its optimal duration remains controversial. We aimed to study the association of the duration of full and any breast-feeding with infections the first 18 months of life. Methods: The Norwegian Mother and Child study (MoBa) is a prospective birth cohort which recruited expecting mothers giving birth from 2000 to 2009. We analyzed data from the full cohort (n = 70, 511) and sibling sets (n = 21, 220) with parental report of breast-feeding and infections. The main outcome measures were the relative risks (RRs) for hospitalization for infections from 0 to 18 months by age at introduction of complementary foods and duration of any breast-feeding. Results: Although we found some evidence for an overall association between longer duration of full breast-feeding and lower risk of hospitalizations for infections, 7.3% of breast-fed children who received complementary foods at 4 to 6 months of age compared to 7.7% of those receiving complementary foods after 6 months were hospitalized (adjusted RR 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.88–1.03). Higher risk of hospitalization was observed in those breast-fed 6 months or less (10.0%) compared to ≥12 months (7.6%, adjusted RR 1.22, 95% confidence interval 1.14–1.31), but with similar risks for 6 to 11 months versus ≥12 months. Matched sibling analyses, minimizing the confounding from shared maternal factors, showed nonsignificant associations and were generally weaker compared with the cohort analyses. Conclusions: Our results support the recommendation to fully breast-feed for 4 months and to continue breast-feeding beyond 6 months, and suggest that protection against infections is limited to the first 12 months. Abstract : Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text