Breastfeeding reduces risk of obesity in children: study

By James Gamble via SWNS

Children breastfed for more than six months are less fat aged nine, scientists say.

Researchers investigating the impacts of infant feeding patterns also say that introducing soft drinks after 18 months increases the chances of avoiding childhood obesity.

The study will presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Hamburg, Germany this week.

The findings showed children who were breastfed for six months or longer had a lower percentage of body fat by age nine than those who weren't breastfed or breastfed for less than six months.

Children not given fizzy drinks before 18 months also had a lower fat mass at the age of nine.

The study team, from the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus on the US West Coast, analyzed data relating to more than 700 mother-child pairs taking part in Healthy Start - a US-based study into how a mother's lifestyle and environment during pregnancy can affect her child's growth and development.

The mothers had an average age of 29 at the beginning of the study, and their children were around half boys and half girls (51 percent male).

Each mother was asked during interviews when their babies were six and 18 months old about feeding practices, including the duration or exclusivity of breastfeeding over formula feeding and the age at which their children were introduced to complementary foods - any foods other than breast milk or formula.

The researchers then split the mothers into two groups for the duration of breastfeeding of six months or more and less than six months.

They were also split into groups for the age they introduced their babies to complementary foods (at or before four months or five months and over) and the age their baby was first introduced to fizzy drinks (18 months or more vs. less than 18 months).

The majority of the infants (65 percent) were breastfed for at least six months, whilst nearly three-quarters (73 percent) were introduced to complementary foods at five months or older and more than four-fifths (86 percent) were only introduced to fizzy drinks after 18 months.

Percentage fat mass - the proportion of total weight attributed to body fat - was assessed twice during the study: once at a median age of five, when the average was 19.7 percent, and again at a median age of nine, when there was an average of 18.1 percent.

The results showed that whilst infant feeding patterns were not associated with differences in body fat at the age of five, shorter breastfeeding durations and early introduction to fizzy drinks were associated with faster increases in body fat across the two childhood visits.

Therefore, these children were shown to have higher percentages of body fat by the age of nine.

Infants who were breastfed for less than six months had an average of 3.5 percent more body fat at age nine than those who were breastfed for six months or more.

Children introduced to fizzy drinks before 18 months had an average of around 7.8 percent more body fat at age nine than those who first tried the drinks at 18 months or older.

The researchers also investigated the effects of early fizzy drink introduction alongside breastfeeding duration and found the rate of change for fat mass percentage in childhood was slightly stronger in those breastfed for less than six months (+1.87% body fat per year) than those breastfed for six months or longer (+1.49% body fat per year).

Lead researcher Dr. Catherine Cohen, from the University of Colorado, said the study provided evidence that infant feeding patterns can affect the fat levels of children in later life.

"Numerous prior studies have examined the link between infant feeding and child overweight or obesity risk based on body mass index (BMI),” Dr. Cohen said.

“However, BMI is a crude measure of adiposity (percent fat mass) in childhood.

"In this study, we aimed to expand on this prior research by examining associations of infant feeding practices with a more precise measure of childhood adiposity.

“Infant feeding patterns, especially shorter breastfeeding duration, early soda introduction and their joint effect, may influence body fat levels later in childhood.

“While this study cannot elucidate the potential mechanisms at play, previous research suggests that the link between breastfeeding and obesity risk may be related to differences in the nutrient composition of human milk versus infant formula.

"Differences in appetite regulation and the impact of the human milk on the infant’s microbiome are also being investigated as potential biological effects."

Dr. Cohen added that the study highlighted the health benefits of breastfeeding and the perks of delaying a child's introduction to fizzy drinks.

"Our findings add to the larger body of evidence supporting the potential health benefits of breastfeeding for both mothers and their children," she said.

"They also support the potential importance of delaying a child’s introduction to soda – an energy-dense beverage with no nutritional value during this vulnerable life stage.

“Of course, additional studies are needed to confirm whether our results are generalizable to other populations, as well."