The association of breastfeeding with insulin resistance at 17 years: Prospective observations from Hong Kong's “Children of 1997” birth cohort

Lai Ling Hui, Man Ki Kwok, E. Anthony S. Nelson, So Lun Lee, Gabriel M. Leung, C. Mary Schooling

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Breastfeeding has many benefits for mother and infant. Whether breastfeeding also protects against type 2 diabetes is unclear. To clarify the role of breastfeeding in type 2 diabetes, we assessed the association of breastfeeding with insulin resistance in late adolescence in a birth cohort from a non-Western setting where breastfeeding was not associated with higher socio-economic position. We used multivariable linear regression, with multiple imputation and inverse probability weighting, to examine the adjusted associations of contemporaneously reported feeding in the first 3 months of life (exclusively breastfed, mixed feeding, or always formula-fed) with fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) at 17 years in a subset (n = 710, 8.6% of entire cohort) of the Hong Kong Chinese birth cohort “Children of 1997.” We found a graded association of breastfeeding exclusivity in the first 3 months of life with lower fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (p-for-trend <.05), but not fasting glucose, at 17 years. Exclusively breastfed adolescents (7%) had nonsignificantly lowest fasting insulin and HOMA-IR, adjusted for sex, birth weight, parity, length of gestation, pregnancy characteristics, parents' education, and mother's place of birth. Exclusively breastfeeding for 3 months may be causally associated with lower insulin resistance in late adolescence. Further follow-up studies into adulthood are required to clarify the long-term protection of breastfeeding from type 2 diabetes.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere12490
JournalMaternal and Child Nutrition
Volume14
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • adolescents
  • birth cohort
  • breastfeeding
  • Chinese
  • infant feeding
  • insulin resistance
  • type 2 diabetes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology
  • Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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