Association between breast feeding and growth: the Boyd-Orr cohort study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association of breast feeding with height and body mass index in childhood and adulthood. Design: Historical cohort study, based on long term follow up of the Carnegie (Boyd-Orr) survey of diet and health in pre-war Britain (1937Britain ( -1939. Setting: Sixteen urban and rural districts in Britain. Subjects: A total of 4999 children from 1352 families were surveyed in 1937-1939. Information on infant feeding and childhood anthropometry was available for 2995 subjects. Main outcome measures: Mean differences in childhood and adult anthropometry between breast and bottle fed subjects. Results: Breast feeding was associated with the survey district, greater household income, and food expenditure, but not with number of children in the household, birth order, or social class. In childhood, breast fed subjects were significantly taller than bottle fed subjects after controlling for socioeconomic variables. The mean height difference among boys was 0.20 standard deviation (SD) (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07 to 0.32), and among girls it was 0.14 SD (95% CI 0.02 to 0.27). Leg length, but not trunk length, was the component of height associated with breast feeding. In males, breast feeding was associated with greater adult height (difference: 0.34 SD, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.55); of the two components of height, leg length (0.26 SD, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.50) was more strongly related to breast feeding than trunk length (0.16 SD, 95% CI −0.04 to 0.35). Height and leg length differences were in the same direction but smaller among adult females. There was no association between breast feeding and body mass index in childhood or adulthood. Conclusions: Compared with bottle fed infants, infants breast fed in the 1920s and 1930s were taller in childhood and adulthood. As stature is associated with health and life expectancy, the possible long term impact of infant feeding on adult mortality patterns merits further investigation.

Stature and sibship: historical evidence

“…Their results indicate that economic and demographic factors were important influences on the height of children (Gunnell et al, 1998;Martin et al 2002). One of these studies found that that child heights were negatively associated with the number of children in the household but there was no consistent relationship between height and birth order.…”

Factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding in Accra, Ghana

“…Various factors have been found to be associated with BF initiation and duration, and EBF. These include : demographic factors (eg level of education, parity, urban vs rural residence); biosocial factors (BF support in clinical and community settings); cultural factors (beliefs, norms and attitudes towards BF); socioeconomic status; and employment policies affecting how long an infant can be in close proximity to the mother (Pérez-Escamilla et al, 1995;Pérez-Escamilla et al, 1996;Valdes et al, 2000;Scott et al, 2001;Dearden et al, 2002;Martin et al, 2002;Whaley et al, 2002;Ludvigsson, 2003). The above factors affect BF and EBF rates in different directions and to varying degrees depending on the culture.…”

Long-term benefits of breastfeeding

“…‹ngiltere' de 2995 eriflkin ile yap›lan bir çal›flmada, 1920-1930'lu y›llarda yaflam›n ilk 12 ay›nda anne sütüyle beslenen bebeklerin formüla ile beslenenlere göre eriflkin dönemde daha uzun oldu¤u bildirilmifltir (7). Bu çal›flmada erkeklerin ortalama 2,5 cm daha uzun olduklar›, bacak boylar›n›n da 1,25 cm daha uzun oldu¤u gösterilmifltir.…”

“…Bu çal›flmada erkeklerin ortalama 2,5 cm daha uzun olduklar›, bacak boylar›n›n da 1,25 cm daha uzun oldu¤u gösterilmifltir. Ayn› çal›flmada kad›nlar›n da daha uzun oldu¤u ancak s›n›rda anlaml›l›k gösterdi¤i bildirilmifltir (7). Boyla anne sütü aras›nda doz ba¤›ml› iliflki bulunmad›¤› için anne sütü al›m süresinin etkisinin olmad›¤› da vurgulanm›flt›r (8).…”

“…Anne sütü ve son boy aras›ndaki iliflkiye dair çeflitli mekanizmalar ileri sürülmüfltür: a) büyümenin anne sütü ile en iyi beslenme sa¤lanarak art›r›lmas› b) yapay maddelerle beslenenlere nazaran enfeksiyonlar›n anne sütü alanlarda azl›¤› c) olas› psikolojik ba¤ ile anne bebek etkilefliminin uygun sürdürülmesi d) tat eflikleri ve yeme davran›fllar›n›n oturmas› (7). Bu etkinin neden kaynakland›¤› konusundaki en heyecan verici varsay›m insülin benzeri büyüme faktörünün (IGF-1) bebeklikte programland›¤› varsay›m›d›r.…”