The raison d'etre of this website is to provide you with hard scientific information which may help you make informed decisions in your quest for health (so far I have blogged concise summaries of over 1,500 scientific studies and have had three books published).

My research is mainly focused on the effects of cholesterol, saturated fat and statin drugs on health. If you know anyone who is worried about their cholesterol levels and heart disease, or has been told to take statin drugs you could send them a link to this website, and to my statin or cholesterol or heart disease books.

David Evans

Independent Health Researcher

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Breast feeding is associated with a decreased risk of been overweight in later life

This study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology 2005 Sep 1;162(5):397-403
 
Study title and authors:
Duration of breastfeeding and risk of overweight: a meta-analysis.
Harder T, Bergmann R, Kallischnigg G, Plagemann A.
Clinic of Obstetrics, Division of Experimental Obstetrics, Charité-University Medicine, Berlin, Germany. thomas.harder@charite.de
 
This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16076830

This paper is an analysis of 17 studies that investigated the connection between breastfeeding and the risk of been overweight in later life.

The study found:
(a) Compared to those who were exclusively formula-fed, those who were breastfed for 1-3 months had a 19% decreased risk of been overweight in later life.
(b) Compared to those who were exclusively formula-fed, those who were breastfed for 4-6 months had a 24% decreased risk of been overweight in later life.
(c) Compared to those who were exclusively formula-fed, those who were breastfed for 7-9 months had a 33% decreased risk of been overweight in later life.
(d) Compared to those who were exclusively formula-fed, those who were breastfed for more than 9 months had a 32% decreased risk of been overweight in later life.

The data from the study reveals that a longer duration of breast feeding (up to nine months) is associated with a decreased risk of been overweight in later life.