Breastfeeding and childhood obesity
Obesity in children is difficult to treat and may lead to adult obesity with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Evidence about the effect of breastfeeding on obesity in childhood has been scanty. Now workers in Munich, Germany have shown that prolonged breast feeding is associated with a reduced risk of later obesity.
The study included 9357 children aged 5 or 6 years who had height and weight measurements at school entry and whose parents completed a questionnaire about the child’s early feeding. Overall the prevalence of obesity (BMI >97th centile) was 4.5% in children who had never been breastfed and 2.8% in those who had. It decreased with increasing duration of breastfeeding; 3.8% with 2 months of exclusive breastfeeding, 2.3% with 3-5 months, 1.7% with 6-12 months, and 0.8% for those breastfed for more than 12 months. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, breastfeeding reduced the prevalence of obesity by 25% and prevalence of overweight (BMI >90th centile) by 21%.
Prolonged breastfeeding may reduce the risk of childhood obesity.
von KRIES. Breast feeding and obesity: cross sectional study.
Email This Post
