The association between duration of breastfeeding and the trajectory of brain development from childhood to young adulthood: an 8-year longitudinal study

Grevet, Laura Tietzmann; Teixeira, Danielle Soares; Pan, Pedro Mario; Jackowski, Andrea Parolin; Zugman, André; Miguel, Euripedes Constantino; Rohde, Luis Augusto; Salum, Giovanni Abrahão

doi:10.1007/s00787-023-02283-9

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Further supporting the effect breastfeeding has on neurodevelopment, multiple studies have reported different brain composition in infants who were breastfed compared to never breastfeeding or depending on longer breastfeeding duration, with impacts on grey matter (Belfort et al, 2016;Ou et al, 2016) and hippocampal volumes (Belfort et al, 2016), as well as brain activation (Ou et al, 2016) and cortical thickness (Grevet et al, 2023). One of the proposed mechanisms for the enhanced neurodevelopment of breastfed children is mediated by polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) found in human milk.…”

Section: Long -Term He Alth Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of breastfeeding in disease prevention

Masi,

Stewart

2024

Microbial Biotechnology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human milk provides the infant with many bioactive factors, including immunomodulating components, antimicrobials and prebiotics, which modulate the infant microbiome and immune system maturation. As a result, breastfeeding can impact infant health from infancy, through adolescence, and into adulthood. From protecting the infant from infections, to reducing the risk of obesity, type 1 diabetes and childhood leukaemia, many positive health outcomes are observed in infants receiving breastmilk. For the mother, breastfeeding protects against postpartum bleeding and depression, increases weight loss, and long‐term lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Beyond infants and mothers, the wider society is also impacted because of avoidable costs relating to morbidity and mortality derived from a lack of human milk exposure. In this review, Medline was used to search for relevant articles to discuss the health benefits of breastfeeding and its societal impact before exploring future recommendations to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms behind breastfeeding's positive effects and promote breastfeeding on a global scale.

show abstract

Section: Long -Term He Alth Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of breastfeeding in disease prevention

Masi,

Stewart

2024

Microbial Biotechnology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Breastfeeding duration and brain-body development in 9–10-year-olds: modulating effect of socioeconomic levels

Rajagopalan,

Hsu,

Luo

2024

Pediatr Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To investigate relationships of breastfeeding duration with brain structure and adiposity markers in youth and how these relationships are modified by neighborhood socioeconomic environments (SEEs). Methods This was a cross-sectional study of youth enrolled in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study® (n = 7511). Mixed effects models examined associations of breastfeeding duration with global brain measures and adiposity markers, adjusting for sociodemographic, pre- and post-natal covariates. Stratified analysis was performed by area deprivation index (ADI) tertiles. Results Total cortical surface area (SA) (False Discovery Rate - FDR corrected P < 0.001), cortical (FDR corrected P < 0.001) and subcortical gray matter (GM) volume (FDR corrected P < 0.001) increased with increased breastfeeding duration. Body mass index (BMI) z-scores (FDR corrected P = 0.001), waist circumference (FDR corrected P = 0.002) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) (FDR corrected P = 0.001) decreased with increased breastfeeding duration. Breastfeeding duration was inversely associated with adiposity in youth from high- and medium- ADI neighborhoods, but positively associated with SA across ADI tertiles. Conclusions In this cross-sectional study, longer breastfeeding duration was associated with lower adiposity indices, particularly in youth from lower SEEs and greater SA across SEE levels. Longer breastfeeding duration showed long-term associations with brain and body development for offspring. Impact Building on previous findings that longer breastfeeding duration is associated with healthier weight gain, lower obesity risk, and brain white matter development in infancy, our results find longer breastfeeding duration to be associated with lower adiposity indices and greater cortical and subcortical gray matter volume, and cortical surface area during peri-adolescence. Children from lower socioeconomic environments (SEEs) demonstrated stronger negative associations of breastfeeding duration and adiposity indices, and children across SEEs showed positive relationships between breastfeeding duration and cortical surface area. Promoting breastfeeding, particularly among women from lower SEEs would confer long-term benefits to offspring.

show abstract

Breastfeeding Beyond Six Months: Evidence of Child Health Benefits

Froń,

Orczyk-Pawiłowicz

2024

Nutrients

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Breastfeeding is globally recognized as the optimal method of infant nutrition, offering health benefits for both the child and the mother, making it a public health priority. However, the potential advantages of breastfeeding extend well beyond initial months. Breast milk adapts to the evolving needs of the growing infant, and its immunological, microbiological, and biochemical properties have been associated with enhanced protection against infections and chronic diseases, improved growth and development, and lower rates of hospitalization and mortality. This review explores the evidence supporting the continuation of breastfeeding beyond six months. More meticulous studies employing consistent methodologies and addressing confounders are essential. This will enable a more accurate determination of the extent and mechanisms of the positive impact of prolonged breastfeeding and allow for the implementation of effective public health strategies.

show abstract

The association between duration of breastfeeding and the trajectory of brain development from childhood to young adulthood: an 8-year longitudinal study

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Role of breastfeeding in disease prevention

Role of breastfeeding in disease prevention

Breastfeeding duration and brain-body development in 9–10-year-olds: modulating effect of socioeconomic levels

Breastfeeding Beyond Six Months: Evidence of Child Health Benefits

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About