Nipping obesity in the bud. (FYI).

Infants who are exclusively breastfed are less likely than those who are fed only formula to be obese in early childhood, according to findings from a Scottish study of children born in 1995-1996. (1) Overall, 9% of the more than 32,000 children were obese (i.e., had a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for their age and sex) at 39-42 months of age. The proportion was 9% among those who had been exclusively formula-fed during their first 6-8 weeks and 7% among those who had been exclusively breastfed; results of analyses controlling for socioeconomic status, sex and birth weight confirmed that breastfed infants had a significantly lower risk of obesity than their formula-fed peers (odds ratio, 0.7). Four percent of all children studied were severely obese (i.e., had a body mass index in the 98th percentile or higher) when they were 39-42 months old; again, when potentially confounding factors were taken into account, the risk was reduced among youngsters who had been fed only breast milk (odds ratio, 0.7). The researchers conclude that "breastfeeding is ... potentially useful for population-based strategies aimed at obesity prevention."

(1.) Armstrong J, Reilly JJ and the Child Health Information Team, Breastfeeding and lowering the risk of childhood obesity, Lancet, 2002, 359(9322): 2003-2004.

FYI is compiled and written by Dore Hollander, executive editor of Perspective on Sexual and Reproductive Health.