Relationship between exclusive breastfeeding the first six months of life and development of insulin resistance in children and adolescents in Bucaramanga, Colombia

Abstract

exclusive breastfeeding (EB) is a protective factor against the development of insulin resistance (IR) as mainstay of the metabolic syndrome. the objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between EB during the first six months of life and the development of IR through the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-IR) and Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) indexes. a population-based cohort study included 494 adolescent participants, from whom socio-demographic, anthropometric, and cardiometabolic variables were assessed using the HOMA-IR and QUICKI indexes to determine the degree of association between EB and the development IR. The results were expressed in medians. the prevalence of EB was 42%. The results suggest a protective effect of EB on IR, in such a way that for each extra month of EB, the HOMA-IR index decreases in 0.32 (p = 0.005) and the index QUICKI increases in 0.70 (p = 0.008). Regarding waist circumference, body mass index and waist size index, this relationship was not significant. the bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate an epidemiologically significant relationship that demonstrates a protective effect of EB on the HOMA-IR and QUICKI indexes.