Effect of breast feeding on the plasma cholesterol and growth of infants

• Published in: Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 139 - 142
• Main Authors: Jooste, P L, Rossouw, L J, Steenkamp, H J, Rossouw, J E, Swanepoel, A S. P, Charlton, D O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hagerstown, MD Lippincott-Raven Publishers 01.08.1991; Lippincott
• Subjects: aliment pour nourrisson; alimentation au sein; alimentos para ninos; Analysis of Variance; bebes; Biological and medical sciences; blood plasma; Body Height; body measurements; Body Weight; Breast Feeding; cholesterol; Cholesterol - blood; Cohort Studies; colesterol; crecimiento; croissance; diet; dieta; enfant en bas age; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; growth; human milk; Humans; infant foods; Infant, Newborn - blood; Infant, Newborn - growth & development; infants; lactancia materna; lait humain; leche humana; Longitudinal Studies; medicion del cuerpo; mensuration corporelle; peso; plasma sanguin; plasma sanguineo; poids; regime alimentaire; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; weight; Human; Growth; Follow up study; Infant; Breast feeding; Cholesterol; Breast milk; Blood plasma
• ISSN: 0277-2116; 1536-4801
• DOI: 10.1097/00005176-199108000-00004

The effect of breast-feeding on plasma cholesterol, body weight, and body length was studied longitudinally in a large free-living cohort of infants (n = 512) from birth until the age of I year. Of the cohort, 21.4% were exclusively breast-fed for at least 3 months, 39.3% received bottle-feeding, and 39.3% received a combination of breast- and bottle-feeding. At birth the plasma cholesterol was similar in the three groups. After 3 months the mean plasma cholesterol and proportion of hypercholesterolemic infants in the breast-fed group were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that of the other two groups. These differences had disappeared at the age of 1 year. Breast-fed infants weighed less at 3 and 12 months, but body length was similar to those of the other groups. These results suggest that breast-feeding elevates plasma cholesterol by a direct mechanism and that the effect persists only as long as the breast-feeding is continued.