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Prospective Cohort Study of Breastfeeding and the Risk of Childhood Asthma
Anne Kristine Lossius1, Maria Christine Magnus2, Jon Lunde1
1Pediatric Department, Ostfold Hospital Trust, Grålum, Norway.
Insights
This study found no link between breastfeeding duration or introducing solids and childhood asthma. Researchers analyzed data from over 41,000 children, concluding these factors do not predict asthma risk at age seven.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Childhood asthma is a significant public health concern.
- Early life feeding practices, including breastfeeding and complementary food introduction, are hypothesized to influence asthma development.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the duration of breastfeeding and the timing of complementary food introduction with the risk of childhood asthma.
- To determine if specific feeding patterns in infancy correlate with asthma diagnosis by age seven.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Study, a prospective cohort of over 41,000 children.
- Defined asthma based on the prescription of asthma medications by age seven.
- Employed log-binomial regression models to calculate relative risks, adjusting for potential confounders.
Main Results:
- No significant association was observed between the duration of breastfeeding (less than 6 months, 6-11 months, or 12 months or more) and asthma risk at age seven.
- Introducing complementary foods before four months or between four to six months, while continuing breastfeeding, did not significantly alter asthma risk compared to full breastfeeding for six months.
- The age of introduction for solids or formula alone did not predict asthma development.
Conclusions:
- The duration of breastfeeding and the age of introducing complementary foods were not associated with the risk of developing asthma by seven years of age.
- Findings suggest that these common infant feeding practices may not be significant modifiable risk factors for childhood asthma in this cohort.
Objectives:
To study whether the duration of breastfeeding and time for introduction of complementary foods was associated with the risk of childhood asthma.
Study Design:
We used data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Study, a nationwide prospective cohort study that recruited pregnant women from across Norway between 1999 and 2008. Children with complete data of breastfeeding up to 18 months and current age >7 years were eligible (n = 41 020). Asthma as the primary outcome was defined based on ≥2 dispensed asthma medications at age 7 years registered in the Norwegian Prescription Database. We used log-binomial regression models to obtain crude relative risks (RRs) in the main analysis, and adjusted for selected confounders in multivariable analyses.
Results:
For duration of any breastfeeding, 5.9% of infants breastfed <6 months (adjusted RR [aRR] 1.05, 0.93-1.19) and 4.6% breastfed 6-11 months (aRR 0.96, 0.87-1.07) had dispensed asthma medications at age 7 years compared with 4.6% of infants breastfed ≥12 months (Ptrend .62). Infants still breastfed at 6 months, but introduced to complementary foods <4 months and 4-6 months, had an aRR of 1.15 (0.98-1.36) and 1.09 (0.94-1.27) respectively, compared with infants fully breastfed for 6 months (Ptrend .09). Ages at introduction of solids or formula separately were not significant predictors (Ptrend .16 and .08, respectively).
Conclusions:
We found no association between duration of breastfeeding or age of introduction to complementary foods and asthma at age 7 years.
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