Abstract

BackgroundOne of the most important protective health factors for children is breast-feeding, but the mechanisms for this effect are not fully elucidated. Our objective was to assess if the duration of breastfeeding influences cortisol in hair, used as a biomarker for stress in children still at school-age.MethodsABIS (All Babies in Southeast Sweden) is a prospective population-based child cohort study of 17,055 children born Oct 1st1997- Oct 1st 1999, with the aim to study development of immune-mediated diseases. Questionnaires were answered at birth and then at regular follow-ups, and biological samples were collected. As a biomarker of stress, we measured the child’s cortisol in hair collected at 8 years of age, those randomly selected N = 126 children among those with enough hair samples for analyses of hair at 8 years of age. Duration of breastfeeding had been registered as well as psycho-social factors related to breastfeeding and/or stress.ResultsThere was a negative correlation (r = − 0.23, p = 0.01) between total duration of breastfeeding and hair cortisol levels at 8 years of age. In a multivariate analysis this association persisted (p = 0.01) even when adjusted for other potential intervening factors like age of mother at delivery and early psychosocial vulnerability in the family, an index based on 11 factors (Multivariate model: df = 5, adj R2 = 0.15, F = 5.38, p < 0.01).ConclusionOur results show that longer breastfeeding is associated with lower cortisol levels in the child many years later. These associations should be more elaborated in further studies, and these findings also give some implications for public health. Mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their children also in the modern society, since breastfeeding promotes health in the child. This information could be given via the obstetric departments and later at the well-baby clinics.

Highlights

  • One of the most important protective health factors for children is breast-feeding, but the mechanisms for this effect are not fully elucidated

  • We decided to study whether breast-feeding may influence future cortisol concentration in hair used as a biomarker for stress during childhood, being an important piece of puzzle in our broader studies on the cause of autoimmune diseases, especially Type 1 diabetes, especially as both psychological stress and cortisol causing insulin resistance may play a role for development of Type 1 diabetes [3]

  • The ABIS-study All parents with children born between October 1st in 1997 and October 1st in 1999 in Southeast Sweden (N = 21.700) were asked to participate in the ABIS study (All Babies in Southeast Sweden), a prospective cohort study with the aim to study how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of immunemediated diseases, especially Type 1 diabetes [20]

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Summary

Introduction

One of the most important protective health factors for children is breast-feeding, but the mechanisms for this effect are not fully elucidated. Our objective was to assess if the duration of breastfeeding influences cortisol in hair, used as a biomarker for stress in children still at school-age. A number of factors in early childhood play an important role for health later in life. We decided to study whether breast-feeding may influence future cortisol concentration in hair used as a biomarker for stress during childhood, being an important piece of puzzle in our broader studies on the cause of autoimmune diseases, especially Type 1 diabetes, especially as both psychological stress and cortisol causing insulin resistance may play a role for development of Type 1 diabetes [3]

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