Breastfeeding History and the Risk of Overweight and Obesity in Middle-aged Women

Background: Breastfeeding is considered to be a factor that stimulates fat reserves accumulated during pregnancy to produce milk. The aim of the study was to assess the association between breastfeeding duration and fatness indices in middle-aged women. Methods: : The analysis was carried out in a group of 7,500 parous women aged 55.5±5.3. Body mass index, percentage of body fat and waist-to-height ratio were included in the analysis. The likelihood of overweight and obesity depending on the total breastfeeding time was assessed using multivariate logistic regression analyzes. Results: : An analysis of adjusted odds ratios did not show significant associations between breastfeeding duration and the risk of overweight and obesity in premenopausal women. After menopause, women who gave birth to 2 children and breastfed 1-6 and >12 months had a lower risk of abdominal obesity (OR=0.70; 95% CI=0.50-0.99; p=0.042; and OR=0.68 ; 95% CI=0.47-0.98; p=0.039), and in those women who gave birth to 3 or more children and breastfed for 1-6 months, also showed a lower risk of overweight (OR=0.52; 95% CI=0.27-0.99; p=0.047), compared to those ones that have never breastfed. There was no relationship found between the duration of lactation and the risk of excessive body fat. Conclusion: Breastfeeding may have some beneficial, long-term effect on the risk of overweight and abdominal obesity in women.