Breastfeeding Linked to Lower Child BMI for Age Z-Score

FRIDAY, Jan. 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Regardless of maternal body mass index (BMI) category, breastfeeding is associated with a lower child BMI for age z-score (BMIz), according to a study published online Dec. 19 in Pediatrics.

Gayle M. Shipp, Ph.D., R.D.N., from Michigan State University in Flint, and colleagues analyzed 8,134 dyads from 21 cohorts in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Program to describe associations between breastfeeding practices and child BMIz. Dyads were included if they had data for maternal prepregnancy BMI, infant feeding practices, and one or more child BMI assessment between the ages of 2 and 6 years.

The prevalence of maternal underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese BMI category was 2.5, 45.8, 26.0, and 25.6 percent, respectively. The researchers found that across the BMI weight categories, the median child ages at the cessation of any and exclusive breastfeeding were 19, 26, 24, and 17 weeks and 12, 20, 17, and 12 weeks, respectively. Among children whose mothers had a healthy weight, overweight, or obesity, three months of any breastfeeding was associated with a lower BMIz (−0.02, −0.04, and −0.04, respectively). Among children whose mothers had a healthy weight, overweight, or obesity, three months of exclusive breastfeeding was associated with a lower BMIz (−0.06, −0.05, and −0.08, respectively).

"Our findings highlight that each additional month of breastfeeding, whether a consistent amount or exclusively, may contribute to a lower weight later in childhood, especially for mothers who had obesity before pregnancy," Shipp said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to relevant medical organizations.

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