October 28, 1999 – A large study of 134,577 children aged 5 to 6 has revealed an inverse relationship between the duration of breastfeeding and the prevalence of obesity.
The figures speak for themselves: in children who have never been breastfed, obesity affects 4.5% of children while it affects barely 0.8% of children who are breastfed for more than ‘a year. The dose effect is easily observable because the obesity rate is 3.8% in subjects breastfed for 2 months, 2.3% for breastfeeding for 3 to 5 months, 1.7% for 6 to 12 months and 0.8% for one year or more.
In industrialized countries, excess weight and obesity are the most frequent disorders in children and adolescents and their incidence is constantly increasing. These children are later at risk of becoming obese and suffering from the attendant illnesses. As attempts to promote weight loss are of limited effectiveness, prevention at an early age therefore appears to be the best strategy to adopt. The authors therefore conclude that the promotion of breastfeeding therefore seems indicated in industrialized countries.
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von Kries R, Koletzko B, Sauerwald T, von Mutius E, Barnert D, Grunert V, von Voss H Breast feeding and obesity: cross sectional study. BMJ. 1999 Jul 17; 319 (7203): 147-50.
