Duration of Breastfeeding and Risk of Overweight: A Meta-Analysis

Harder, Thomas; Bergmann, Renate L.; Kallischnigg, Gerd; Plagemann, Andreas

doi:10.1093/aje/kwi222

Cited by 975 publications

(784 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…a longer duration of breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk of overweight) (75) . It has been also proposed that in particular groups breastfeeding could also offset the effect of prenatal obesity risk factors such as maternal overweight (76) .…”

Section: Effect Of Mode Of Feeding On Growth Obesity and Cvd Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of growth patterns and early diet on obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in young children from developing countries

et al. 2009

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Non-communicable chronic diseases are now a worldwide epidemic. Diet and physical activity throughout life are among its main determinants. In countries undergoing the early stages of the nutrition transition weight gain from birth to 2 years of life is related to lean mass gain, while ponderal gain after age 2 years is related to adiposity and later diabetes and CVD risk. Evidence from developing countries undergoing the more advanced stages of the nutrition transition is limited. The early growth patterns of a cohort of Chilean children born in 2002 with normal birth weight who at 4 years had a high prevalence of obesity and CVD risk factors have been assessed. Results indicate that BMI gain in early life, particularly from 6 months to 24 months, is positively associated with adiposity and CVD risk status at 4 years. These results together with existing evidence suggest that actions to prevent obesity and nutrition-related chronic diseases in developing countries should start early in life, possibly after 6 months of age. This approach should consider assessing the effect of mode of feeding and the amount and type of energy fed, as well as the resulting growth patterns. The challenge for researchers addressing the nutrition transition is to define the optimal nutrition in early life, considering not only the short-and long-term health consequences but also taking into account the stage of the nutritional transition for the given population of interest. The latter will probably require redefining optimal postnatal growth based on the context of maternal size and fetal growth.

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Section: Effect Of Mode Of Feeding On Growth Obesity and Cvd Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of growth patterns and early diet on obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in young children from developing countries

et al. 2009

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“…96 The critical window for hypernutrition may extend further into postnatal life, as numerous clinical studies, summarized in systematic reviews and meta-analyses, 33,[97][98][99] have shown that rapid weight gain during early infancy is associated with susceptibility to obesity in adulthood. Such rapid weight gain is often associated with formula feeding, and some [100][101][102] but not all 103 observational studies and metaanalyses have found that breast-feeding is protective against obesity in later life. Similarly, studies that have manipulated the composition of formula feeds have shown protective effects of slower growth against later cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence.…”

Section: The 'Early-life Hypernutrition' Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental and epigenetic pathways to obesity: an evolutionary-developmental perspective

2008

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Although variation in individual lifestyle and genotype are important factors in explaining individual variation in the risk of developing obesity in an obesogenic environment, there is growing evidence that developmentally plastic processes also contribute. These effects are mediated at least in part through epigenetic processes. These developmental pathways do not directly cause obesity but rather alter the risk of an individual developing obesity later in life. At least two classes of developmental pathway are involved. The mismatch pathway involves the evolved adaptive responses of the developing organism to anticipated future adverse environments, which have maladaptive consequences if the environment is mismatched to that predicted. This pathway can be cued by prenatal undernutrition or stresses that lead the organism to forecast an adverse future environment and change its developmental trajectory accordingly. As a result, individuals develop with central and peripheral changes that increase their sensitivity to an obesogenic environment. It provides a model for how obesity emerges in populations in rapid transition, but also operates in developed countries. There is growing experimental evidence that this pathway can be manipulated by, for example, postnatal leptin exposure. Secondly, maternal diabetes, maternal obesity and infant overfeeding are associated with a greater risk of later obesity. Early life offers a potential point for preventative intervention.

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“…A number of studies have also shown greater incidence of obesity in adults who were formula fed as opposed to being breast fed during infancy (14,15) , although not all studies have found this (16) . Fat mass is important for the onset of reproductive function, particularly in females (17) .…”

Section: The Developmental Origins Of Human Cardio-metabolic Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of maternal diet on the epigenome: implications for human metabolic disease

Lillycrop

2011

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

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The rapid increase in the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases over the past two decades cannot be explained solely by genetic and adult lifestyle factors. There is now considerable evidence that the fetal and early postnatal environment also strongly influences the risk of developing such diseases in later life. Human studies have shown that low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of CVD, type II diabetes, obesity and hypertension, although recent studies have shown that over-nutrition in early life can also increase susceptibility to future metabolic disease. These findings have been replicated in a variety of animal models, which have shown that both maternal under-and over-nutrition can induce persistent changes in gene expression and metabolism within the offspring. The mechanism by which the maternal nutritional environment induces such changes is beginning to be understood and involves the altered epigenetic regulation of specific genes. The demonstration of a role for altered epigenetic regulation of genes in the developmental induction of chronic diseases raises the possibility that nutritional or pharmaceutical interventions may be used to modify long-term cardio-metabolic disease risk and combat this rapid rise in chronic non-communicable diseases.Epigenetics: DNA methylation: Fetal development: CVD: ObesityThe incidence of chronic non-communicable disease has risen sharply over the last 20 years with an estimated 18 million people dying from CVD per year (1) . This rise in CVD has been amplified by a rapid rise in the rate of obesity and type II diabetes across the world, which are major risk factors for CVD. This increase in the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases over the past two decades cannot be explained solely by genetic and adult lifestyle factors. There is now substantial evidence that the fetal and early postnatal environment strongly influences the risk of developing cardio-metabolic disease. Epidemiological studies show that a poor intra-uterine environment induced by maternal diet, placental insufficiency or endocrine factors, such as stress, induces changes in the embryo and fetus, which increase its future risk of a range of non-communicable diseases (2) . These findings have been replicated in animal models where restricted nutrition during pregnancy induces dyslipidaemia, obesity, hypertension, hyperinsulinaemia and hyperleptinaemia in the offspring (3,4) . This association between poor intrauterine growth and increased risk of disease in later life may reflect a mismatch between the future environment 'predicted' by the embryo/fetus, based on signals from the mother during gestation, and the actual environment experienced in later life (5) . The mechanism by which cues about nutrient availability in the postnatal environment are transmitted to the fetus and the process by which different, stable phenotypes are induced are beginning to be understood. A number of recent studies suggest that changes in the epigenetic regulation of genes in the embryo ...

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Duration of Breastfeeding and Risk of Overweight: A Meta-Analysis

Cited by 975 publications

References 34 publications

Impact of growth patterns and early diet on obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in young children from developing countries

Impact of growth patterns and early diet on obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in young children from developing countries

Developmental and epigenetic pathways to obesity: an evolutionary-developmental perspective

Effect of maternal diet on the epigenome: implications for human metabolic disease

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