Breast feeding seems to reduce the risk of obesity in children

Obesity in childhood increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Weight loss interventions in children are costly and often do not have satisfactory results. On p 147 von Kries et al report their findings on the relation between childhood obesity and breast feeding. Using data from 9357 of the 134 577 children examined for the 1997 school entry health examination in Bavaria, they found that the risk of obesity at age 5 or 6 years could be reduced by 35% if children were exclusively breast fed for 3 to 5 months. The risk can be reduced even further if children are breast fed for longer than 5 months. Preventing childhood obesity and its consequences may be important arguments in the drive to promote breast feeding in industrialised countries.

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Relevant Article

Breast feeding and obesity: cross sectional study

Rüdiger von Kries, Berthold Koletzko, Thorsten Sauerwald, Erika von Mutius, Dietmar Barnert, Veit Grunert, and Hubertus von Voss
BMJ 1999 319: 147-150. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]