Infant feeding patterns and midlife erythrocyte sedimentation rate

Individual and job-related variation in infant feeding practices among working mothers

OBJECTIVE

To document working mothers' infant feeding practices and delineate factors that may shape infant feeding.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data were obtained from a community sample of working women with 8-month old infants (n=199).

RESULTS

Nearly all working mothers used commercially prepared foods like infant cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Approximately one-fifth fed infants french fries, sweetened beverages, and sweetened desserts. Unhealthy infant feeding was elevated among unmarried mothers, those with less education, and those with a nonstandard work schedule.

CONCLUSIONS

Working mothers use commercially prepared foods for infant feeding. Socially disadvantaged working mothers' infant feeding may pose health and developmental risks.

Does initial breastfeeding lead to lower blood cholesterol in adult life? A quantitative review of the evidence

BACKGROUND

Earlier studies have suggested that infant feeding may program long-term changes in cholesterol metabolism.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine whether breastfeeding is associated with lower blood cholesterol concentrations in adulthood.

DESIGN

The study consisted of a systematic review of published observational studies relating initial infant feeding status to blood cholesterol concentrations in adulthood (ie, aged >16 y). Data were available from 17 studies (17 498 subjects; 12 890 breastfed, 4608 formula-fed). Mean differences in total cholesterol concentrations (breastfed minus formula-fed) were pooled by using fixed-effect models. Effects of adjustment (for age at outcome, socioeconomic position, body mass index, and smoking status) and exclusion (of nonexclusive breast feeders) were examined.

RESULTS

Mean total blood cholesterol was lower (P = 0.037) among those ever breastfed than among those fed formula milk (mean difference: -0.04 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.08, 0.00 mmol/L). The difference in cholesterol between infant feeding groups was larger (P = 0.005) and more consistent in 7 studies that analyzed "exclusive" feeding patterns (-0.15 mmol/L; -0.23, -0.06 mmol/L) than in 10 studies that analyzed nonexclusive feeding patterns (-0.01 mmol/L; -0.06, 0.03 mmol/L). Adjustment for potential confounders including socioeconomic position, body mass index, and smoking status in adult life had minimal effect on these estimates.

CONCLUSIONS

Initial breastfeeding (particularly when exclusive) may be associated with lower blood cholesterol concentrations in later life. Moves to reduce the cholesterol content of formula feeds below those of breast milk should be treated with caution.