The association between breastfeeding and childhood obesity: a meta-analysis

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 1267
• Main Authors: Yan, Jing, Liu, Lin, Zhu, Yun, Huang, Guowei, Wang, Peizhong Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 13.12.2014; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Body mass index; Breast Feeding; Breastfeeding & lactation; Child; Children & youth; Dose-response effects; Heterogeneity; Humans; Male; Medical research; Obesity; Pediatric Obesity - prevention & control; Protective Factors; Public health; Risk; Risk reduction; Studies
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1267

The increase in childhood obesity is a serious public health concern. Several studies have indicated that breastfed children have a lower risk of childhood obesity than those who were not breastfed, while other studies have provided conflicting evidence. The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the association between breastfeeding and the risk of childhood obesity. The PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL Plus with Full Text databases were systematically searched from start date to 1st August 2014. Based on the meta-analysis, pooled adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. I2 statistic was used to evaluate the between-study heterogeneity. Funnel plots and Fail-safe N were used to assess publication bias and reliability of results, and results from both Egger test and Begg test were reported. Twenty-five studies with a total of 226,508 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The studies' publication dates ranged from 1997 to 2014, and they examined the population of 12 countries. Results showed that breastfeeding was associated with a significantly reduced risk of obesity in children (AOR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.81). Categorical analysis of 17 studies revealed a dose-response effect between breastfeeding duration and reduced risk of childhood obesity. Results of our meta-analysis suggest that breastfeeding is a significant protective factor against obesity in children.