Breast feeding may protect hearts
6 September 2002
Breastfeeding may provide a life-long reduction in cardiovascular risk, UK researchers say.
The researchers performed a systematic review comparing total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL — the so-called 'bad' cholesterol) levels in infants, children and adolescents with those in adults who were either breast or bottle-fed.
Adults who were breastfed as infants had TC levels 0.2 mmol/L lower than adults who were bottle-fed.
This would result in an estimated 10 per cent reduction in cardiovascular risk, the researchers said. Breastfeeding was associated with higher levels of TC and LDL in infancy.
The association between breastfeeding and higher TC and LDL in infancy was likely to be a direct consequence of nutritional differences between breast and bottle milk, the researchers wrote in Pediatrics (2002; 110: 597-608).
A low intake of cholesterol in infant food is usually assumed to be good for long-term cardiovascular prevention. 'However, our results suggest that high cholesterol intake in infancy may protect against dietary fat intake later in life, and that there may be a strong case for the fat content of formula feeds to match that of breast milk as closely as possible,' the researchers said.
It was premature to recommend breastfeeding on these grounds but it was possible that the other benefits of breastfeeding were accompanied by a long-term reduction in cardiovascular risk, they said.
The duration of breastfeeding needed to reduce adult cholesterol levels was unknown, they said.
The data showed no link between infant feeding pattern and TC or LDL in childhood or adolescence.
Last Reviewed: 09 September 2002
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 6/9/02
