The impact of breastfeeding on childhood obesity in children that were large-for-gestational age: retrospective study from birth to 4 years

Yinling Chen,Ting Wu,Lili Han,Weijuan Su,Xiulin Shi,Xuejun Li,Bingkun Huang,Fuping Lyu,Haiqu Song,Zheng Chen,Liying Wang

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-08275-0

Abstract

Our aim was to assess effects of breast-feeding (BF) in the association between large-for-gestational age (LGA) and body mass index (BMI) trajectories on childhood overweight from 1 to 4 years old. A total of 1649 healthcare records of mother–child pairs had detailed records of feeding practices and were included in this retrospective cohort study. Data were available in Medical Birth Registry of Xiamen between January 2011 and March 2018. Linear and logistic regression models were used to access the difference between BF and no-BF group. For offspring were LGA and BF was significantly associated with a lower BMI Z-score from 1 to 4 years old after adjustment confounders in Model 1 to 3 [difference in BMI Z-score in Model 1: estimated β: −0.07 [95%CI: −0.13 to −0.01]; Model 2: estimated β: −0.07 (−0.13 to −0.004); Model 3: estimated β: −0.06 (−0.12 to −0.001); P = 0.0221, 0.0371, 0.0471]. A significantly lower risk of childhood overweight was observed in Model 1 [odd ratio (OR): 0.85 (95%CI, 0.73 to 1.00)], P = 0.0475) with adjustment for maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. Furthermore, Model 2 and Model 3 showed LGA-BF infants had a lower risk for childhood overweight then LGA-no-BF infants [OR: 0.87 and 0.87 (95%CI, 0.73 to 1.03; 0.74 to 1.03)], however, there was no statistical significance (P = 0.1099, and 0.1125)]. BF is inversely related to BMI Z-score and risk for overweight in children were LGA from 1 to 4 years old. Adjustment for maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, the protective association between BF and childhood overweight was more significant.

Highlights

Our aim was to assess effects of breast-feeding (BF) in the association between large-for-gestational age (LGA) and body mass index (BMI) trajectories on childhood overweight from 1 to 4 years old
We found that no-BF offspring had a higher BMI Z-score at 3 years of age; this relationship was not statistically significant (P > 0.05)
In the longitudinal study (Table 3), we found a significant association between LGA-BF and offspring BMI Z-score

Summary

Introduction

Our aim was to assess effects of breast-feeding (BF) in the association between large-for-gestational age (LGA) and body mass index (BMI) trajectories on childhood overweight from 1 to 4 years old. A significantly lower risk of childhood overweight was observed in Model 1 [odd ratio (OR): 0.85 (95%CI, 0.73 to 1.00)], P = 0.0475) with adjustment for maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. Abbreviations BF Breast-feeding FF Formula-feeding LGA Large-for-gestational age BMI Body mass index MBRX Medical Birth Registry in Xiamen OGTT Oral glucose tolerance test GDM Gestational diabetes mellitus AAP American Academy of Pediatrics CI Confidence interval OR Odd ratio SD Standard deviation. Some studies have shown that obesogenic environment from birth to 2 years old can affect infant development resulting in a higher risk of o besity[8,9] Obesity developed during this period can enhance risk of excess weight gain over one’s lifetime[10]. A metaanalysis demonstrated that the children taken in BF were 15% less likely to become overweight as compared to non-BF, like formula-feeding and mixed-feeding[12]

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