Primal Health Databank: Study
| Entry No: | 0709 |
| Title: | Does initial breastfeeding lead to lower blood cholesterol in adult life? A quantitative review of the evidence |
| Author(s): | Owen CG, Whincup PH, Kaye SJ, et al. |
| Reference: | Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Aug;88(2):305-14 |
| Place of Study: | UK |
| Abstract: | The study consisted of a systematic review of published observational studies relating initial infant feeding status to blood cholesterol concentrations in adulthood (ie, aged >16 y). Data were available from 17 studies (17 498 subjects; 12 890 breastfed, 4608 formula-fed). Mean differences in total cholesterol concentrations (breastfed minus formula-fed) were pooled by using fixed-effect models. Effects of adjustment (for age at outcome, socioeconomic position, body mass index, and smoking status) and exclusion (of nonexclusive breast feeders) were examined. Mean total blood cholesterol was lower (P = 0.037) among those ever breastfed than among those fed formula milk (mean difference: -0.04 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.08, 0.00 mmol/L). The difference in cholesterol between infant feeding groups was larger (P = 0.005) and more consistent in 7 studies that analyzed "exclusive" feeding patterns (-0.15 mmol/L; -0.23, -0.06 mmol/L) than in 10 studies that analyzed nonexclusive feeding patterns (-0.01 mmol/L; -0.06, 0.03 mmol/L). Adjustment for potential confounders including socioeconomic position, body mass index, and smoking status in adult life had minimal effect on these estimates. CONCLUSIONS: Initial breastfeeding (particularly when exclusive) may be associated with lower blood cholesterol concentrations in later life. Moves to reduce the cholesterol content of formula feeds below those of breast milk should be treated with caution.
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| Keyword(s): | breastfeeding, cholesterol |
| Discussion: | Related Articles: The effect of breastfeeding on mean body mass index throughout life: a quantitative review of published and unpublished observational evidence. [Am J Clin Nutr. 2005] Does breastfeeding influence risk of type 2 diabetes in later life? A quantitative analysis of published evidence. [Am J Clin Nutr. 2006] Infant feeding and blood cholesterol: a study in adolescents and a systematic review. [Pediatrics. 2002] Infant-feeding patterns are related to blood cholesterol concentration in prepubertal children aged 5-11 y: the Fleurbaix-Laventie Ville Santé study. [Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000] Breastfeeding by HIV-1-infected women and outcome in their infants: a cohort study from Durban, South Africa. [AIDS. 1997] » See all Related Articles... |
| See Also: | No related entries mentioned for this entry |
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