ABSTRACT
In prospective studies conducted in New Zealand and Australia, the protective effect of breastfeeding on later obesity was no longer signicant after controlling for confounding factors. In 562 New Zealand children followed from birth to 7 years of age, there was no difference in body fatness between infants who had been exclusively breast-fed or formula-fed for the rst 3 months of life [10]. In ~1000 New Zealand children followed from 3 to 26 years of age, breastfeeding for more than 6 months was associated with a lower risk of obesity at 9-18 years of age, but not at the earlier (3-7 years) or later (>21 years) ages [14]. After controlling for maternal BMI and other confounders, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was not signicant. In a prospective study of 4062 5-year-olds in Australia [15], O’Callaghan et al. [15] also did not nd a signicant association between duration of breastfeeding and obesity after controlling for birth weight, sex, gestational age, infant feeding and sleeping problems, parental BMI, education, and income. There was no consistent dose-response relationship between duration of breastfeeding and obesity.
