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 language | English |
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Article number | e12490 |
Journal | Maternal and Child Nutrition |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
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