This article originally posted 24 October, 2006 and appeared in Issue 335
Breast-Feeding Protects Against Obesity in Children of Diabetic, Overweight Moth
Breast-feeding is inversely associated with the risk of childhood obesity regardless of maternal diabetes status or weight status.
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"Previously, a protective, dose-dependent effect of breast-feeding to
reduce the risk of overweight in adolescents was reported ... from a study of
the offspring of participants in the Nurses' Health Study II," Dr. Elizabeth
J. Mayer-Davis, of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and colleagues
write. In the current study, the team examined whether the beneficial effect
is attenuated by maternal diabetes or weight status.
The 15,253 subjects had a mean age of 11.9 years. Overall, 13.4% were at risk
for overweight and 6.7% were overweight. The investigators report that 56.4%
of the mothers of these subjects were non-diabetic and normal weight, 40.5%
were non-diabetic and overweight, and 3.1% were diabetic (preexisting diabetes
or gestational diabetes).
After adjusting for age, sex, and Tanner stage, exclusive breast-feeding was
associated with a reduced likelihood of overweight in childhood compared to
exclusive formula-feeding (odds ratio 0.66). The relative risk did not differ
according to maternal status (OR 0.73 for non-diabetes/normal weight; OR 0.75
for non-diabetes/overweight; OR 0.62 for diabetes).
The results were attenuated after further adjustment for potential confounders.
However, results remained consistent across strata of maternal status.
"It is possible that the beneficial effects of breast-feeding may contribute
to breaking the cycle of overweight and diabetes, which may occur among offspring
of diabetic mothers," Dr. Mayer-Davis and colleagues conclude.
DID YOU KNOW: FDA Issues Nationwide Alert on Counterfeit One Touch Basic/Profile and
One Touch Ultra Blood Glucose Test Strips: FDA is alerting the public
to counterfeit blood glucose test strips being sold in the US for use with various
models of LifeScan, Inc., One Touch Brand Blood Glucose Monitors used by people
with diabetes to measure their blood glucose. Read or print the full news article
at: www.diabetesincontrol.com/feature http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4253
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