Breastfeeding and food pattern in overweight children in the Caribbean.

Paediatr Int Child Health

Departments of Health Sciences, the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Published: February 2013

Background: As in most countries around the globe, overweight and obesity are a major threat to public health on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Increasing evidence confirms that breastfeeding protects against overweight and obesity. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the association between breastfeeding and obesity. One possibility is that breastfed infants are better able to control their meal size and intervals than formula-fed infants. This might lead to a healthier diet in later life and protect against overweight and obesity.

Objective: To determine the relationship between breastfeeding, food pattern and being overweight in the Caribbean.

Methods: In a cross-sectional school-based study in 2004-2005, weight and height were measured by two research assistants in 1776 children aged 6-11 years on Aruba, an island in the Caribbean. BMI was defined according to guidelines by the International Obesity Task Force. Parents completed a questionnaire pertaining to breastfeeding and dietary food pattern.

Results: 1451/1776 (81·7%) children were breastfed; 851/1766 (47·9%) children were breastfed for <4 months, 227/1776 (12·8%) for 4-6 months and 373/1776 (21·0%) for ≥6 months. Children who were breastfed for ≥4 months had lower odds (OR 0·32, 95%CI 0·25-0·40) of being overweight including obesity than those who either were not breastfed or who were breastfed for <4 months. Children who were breastfed for ≥4 months were more likely to have a structured food pattern of six eating moments a day (OR 7·43, 95% CI 5·87-9·39, P<0·001) and to have breakfast every day (OR 2·86, 95% CI 2·17-3·78, P<0·001) than those who were not or who were breastfed for <4 months.

Conclusions: Breastfeeding for ≥4 months is associated with a structured food pattern (six eating moments a day including a daily breakfast) and carries a strikingly lower risk of overweight in children. Promoting prolonged breastfeeding together with a focus on a subsequent structured food pattern could be a cheap method of preventing overweight.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/2046905512Y.0000000048DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

breastfeeding food
8
food pattern
8
pattern overweight
8
overweight obesity
8
children breastfed
8
breastfeeding
5
overweight
5
children
4
overweight children
4
children caribbean
4

Similar Publications

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is defined as feeding infants only breast milk of the mother or a wet nurse for the first six months, without additional food or liquids except the oral rehydration solution or drops/syrups of vitamins, minerals or medicines. The working status of women in developed countries adversely affects the EBF rates, which calls for an assessment in rapidly developing countries like India. Therefore, the primary aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of EBF using the data from the National Family Health Surveys (NFHS 3, 4, 5) conducted between 2005 and 06, 2015-16 and 2019-21 to estimate the likelihood EBF according to mothers' employment status.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Breastfeeding is associated with improved health outcomes in infancy and throughout adulthood as breast milk encompasses diverse immune-active factors that affect the ontogeny of the immune system in breastfed (BF) infants. Nevertheless, the impact of infant feeding on the immune system is poorly understood, and a comprehensive understanding of immune system development in human infants is lacking. In this observational study, we addressed the effects of different infant feeding approaches on cell populations and parameters in the peripheral blood of infants to gain insight into the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Breast milk is a natural treasure for infants, and its microbiota contains a rich array of bacterial species. When breastfeeding is not possible, infant formula with probiotics can be used as a sole source or as a breast milk supplement. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the growth outcomes and tolerance of infants consuming an infant formula containing Bifidobacterium animalis ssp.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Maternal characteristics are associated with human milk anti-inflammatory proteins in two populations.

Sci Rep

December 2024

Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave. SOC107, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA.

Milk anti-inflammatory compounds are ubiquitous in milk but vary greatly within and between populations. The causes of this variation and how this variation impacts infant phenotype is not well-characterized. The goal of this study was to explain how maternal characteristics across two disparate populations impact the levels of TGF-β2 and IL-1ra in human milk.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: A minimum acceptable diet for children aged 6-23 months is limited globally, with Ethiopia's proportion reducing to one in nine. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of the minimum acceptable diet and associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in Dera town, Oromia, Ethiopia.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!