Journal
PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION
Volume 15, Issue 1, Pages 67-74Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S1368980011002102
Keywords
Breast-feeding; Obesity; Cardio-metabolic disorders
Funding
- Academy of Finland
- Ministry of Education of Finland
- University of Jyvaskyla
- Juho Vainio Foundation
- ASBMR
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objective: To investigate the long-term effects of duration of postpartum lactation on maternal body composition and risk for cardio-metabolic disorders in later life. Design: Retrospective study. Body composition was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and serum glucose, insulin and lipids were analysed using enzymatic photometric methods 16-20 years after the last pregnancy. Medical history and lifestyle factors were collected via a self-administered questionnaire. Detailed information regarding weight change patterns during each pregnancy was obtained from personal maternity tracking records. Setting: City of Jyvaskyla and surroundings in Central Finland. Subjects: Two hundred and twelve women (mean age 48, range 36-60 years). Results: At 16-20 years after their last pregnancy, women who had breast-fed for less than 6 months had higher total body fat mass and fat mass percentage, particularly in the android region (46.5 (SD 8.2)%) than mothers who had breast-fed for longer than 6 months (39.0 (SD 10.2)%) or for longer than 10 months (38.4 (SD 10.9)%, P < 0.01). These differences were independent of pre-pregnancy weight and BMI, menopausal status, smoking status, level of education, participation in past and present leisure-time physical activity, and current dietary energy intake. Higher body fat mass was also associated with higher fasting serum glucose concentration and insulin resistance, TAG, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol concentrations, as well as higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: Short duration of breast-feeding may induce weight retention and fat mass accumulation, resulting in increased risk of cardio-metabolic disorders in later life.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available