Posted 09/28/2006

Study indicates breastfed babies less likely to become obese children, regardless of the health of mothers

Babies who are breastfed during the first year are less likely than others to become obese during childhood, even if their mothers are obese or diabetic, according to a study published in the October issue of Diabetes Care.

 Lead investigator Dr. Elizabeth Mayer-Davis of the University of South Carolina’s  Arnold School of Public Health, said the study involved more than 15,000 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14.

 She said the findings contradict a previous study that suggested that children breastfed by mothers with diabetes exhibited poor glucose tolerance and excessive weight gain as they began to grow.

 "In contrast to the earlier study, we were able to include mothers in our study who didn't have diabetes, as well as those who did, and our sample size was significantly larger," Mayer-Davis said of the study conducted in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health.

  "We found a substantial benefit to breastfeeding for all children, regardless of their mother's weight or health status. For children at higher risk for diabetes or obesity because of their family history, breastfeeding may play a critical role in helping to reduce the risk of excessive weight gain,” she said.

 “Obviously, other factors are important as well, such as continued good nutrition and regular physical activity. But breastfeeding can get them started down a healthy track in life."

 Breastfed babies may be less likely to put on extra pounds because their mothers respond to the baby's natural cries for food (rather than a schedule) and internal signals to stop eating when they are full, rather than being given a specific amount of food and encouraged to finish whatever is in the bottle.

 The United States is in the midst of an epidemic of obesity and overweight, for both children and adults. Obesity is one of the leading risk factors for type 2 diabetes, a disease that has begun to show up in American youth in recent decades.

 The National Institutes of Health provided financial support for this study. 

 For more information: 

 •  American Diabetes Association Website

 •  1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383).