The Association of Early Weaning and Formula Feeding with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Shafai, Touraj; Mustafa, Monika; Hild, Tannaz; Mulari, Jeffrey; Curtis, Antonio

doi:10.1089/bfm.2013.0104

Cited by 23 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…A study using data from an internet survey involving 861 children with ASD and 123 controls found that children who were not breastfed were 2.5 times more likely to suffer from ASD in comparison to children breastfed more than 6 mo (14). A small parent survey of 60 children with and 85 children without ASD found that increased duration of breastfeeding was associated with a reduction in the number of ASD diagnoses (15). Another study involving 102 ASD children and 102 matched controls from Oman also reported decreased risk of ASD in relation to earlier initiation of breastfeeding, increased duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and continued breastfeeding (13).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This suggests that environmental factors are also involved, most probably through complex gene-environment interactions. Possible pathways for protective effects of breastfeeding against autistic traits include insulin-like growth factor deficiency, since it has been proposed as a possible factor in the development of autistic characteristics, which can be prevented by prolonged breastfeeding, and oxytocin release in the brain through breastfeeding stimulation (15,29). However, caution should be paid to interpretation of our findings, as the association between duration of any breastfeeding and autistic traits fell short of statistical significance in supplemental analyses using inverse probability weighting to deal for missing values, and replication of these findings is warranted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other factors, such as the different categorizations of breastfeeding duration and intensity, further complicate comparisons between studies. A few retrospective studies have reported that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are typically breastfed for shorter periods than normally-developing children (13)(14)(15). However, a recent study using data from a large representative survey of US children found no relationship between breastfeeding history and ASD diagnosis (16).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Association between breastfeeding duration and cognitive development, autistic traits and ADHD symptoms: a multicenter study in Spain

et al. 2016

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Association between breastfeeding duration and cognitive development, autistic traits and ADHD symptoms: a multicenter study in Spain

et al. 2016

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“…We have previously reported on the association of formula feeding and early weaning with autism spectrum disorder using retrospective parent's report [31,32]. In the present communication we report on the association of breastfeeding and improved developmental milestones using prospective and longitudinal infant and toddler developmental screening.…”

Section: Infant and Toddler Developmental Screeningmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…There is also no consensus on which specialist should make the diagnosis and which specialist should be taking care of the child with autism. We believe that autism spectrum disorder is the most common cause of developmental delay in developed countries, because of formula feeding, early weaning and lack of mother-baby sensory interactions [31,32].…”

Section: First and Second Messengersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Breastfeeding and the Infant’s Social Environment on Neuroplasticity and Brain Development: The First 1000 Days

Shafai¹,

Mustafa²,

Compsos³

et al. 2018

Selected Topics in Breastfeeding

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There is substantial evidence that breastfeeding and an enriched environment provide significant contributions to the infant's brain development. In the past 2 decades, there have been overwhelming data on the benefits of breastfeeding for 1 year and longer and its association with higher intelligence in later life. There is clear and convincing evidence from a number of disciplines, neuroscience, genetics, animal experiments and magnetic imaging techniques that indicate breastfeeding results in optimal brain development and higher IQ in later life. Magnetic imaging studies of infants, children and adolescents have provided significant evidence that the higher IQ in later life in breastfed infants is associated with larger brain size and higher degree of myelination of the white matter. Furthermore, observational studies of infants have provided clear evidence that breastfeeding and mother-baby sensory interaction result in significant cognitive and behavioral development of breastfed as compared to formula fed infants. Large-scale longitudinal studies of infants' development have shown clear and convincing evidence of higher intelligence in children who were breastfed during infancy, and that the higher IQ persists through adulthood. In this communication, we provide evidence that breastfeeding and an enriched environment result in accelerated developmental potentials in the first 1000 days last a life time. The first 1000 days last the rest of our lives.

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Breastfeeding patterns in infants are associated with a later diagnosis of autism Spectrum disorder

Elbedour,

Balaum,

Alhozyel

et al. 2024

Autism Research

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Breastfeeding is associated with medical and developmental benefits. This study aimed to assess associations between nutritional patterns in the first year of life and the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 270 children diagnosed with ASD (cases) and 500 neurotypical children (controls) matched to cases by sex, ethnicity, and birth date (± 3 months) were included in this retrospective case–control study. Both groups were ascertained from children born between 2014 and 2017 whose development/nutrition were monitored at mother–child health clinics in southern Israel. Conditional logistic regression was used to determine the independent association of nutritional patterns with ASD while adjusting for socio‐demographic and clinical characteristics. Both exclusive and partial breastfeeding modes were associated with decreased odds of ASD diagnosis (aOR = 0.221, 95%CI = 0.136–0.360; aOR = 0.494, 95%CI = 0.328–0.743, respectively). A breastfeeding duration of >12 months was associated with lower ASD odds (aOR = 0.418, 95%CI = 0.204–0.855), while the introduction of solids after 6 months of age was associated with higher ASD odds than the introduction of solids at 6 months (aOR = 2.455, 95%CI = 1.116–4.201). These findings suggest that a longer period of exclusive breastfeeding is associated with a subsequent reduced likelihood of ASD diagnosis, thus reiterating the importance of proper post‐natal nutrition for infant neurodevelopment.

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The Association of Early Weaning and Formula Feeding with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Cited by 23 publications

References 3 publications

Association between breastfeeding duration and cognitive development, autistic traits and ADHD symptoms: a multicenter study in Spain

Association between breastfeeding duration and cognitive development, autistic traits and ADHD symptoms: a multicenter study in Spain

The Influence of Breastfeeding and the Infant’s Social Environment on Neuroplasticity and Brain Development: The First 1000 Days

Breastfeeding patterns in infants are associated with a later diagnosis of autism Spectrum disorder

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