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Breastfeeding as prevention of inflammation and heart disease in early adulthood

29. 4. 2014

The new study encourages mothers to breastfeed longer, especially for low birth weight babies, and thus lead to better health outcomes for the adult population.

A new study by researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston shows that babies with low birth weight, as well as those who were breastfed for less than three months, are more likely to develop chronic inflammation in early adulthood, which may then be linked to heart disease and metabolic disorders.

This study also highlights the fact that although we have long known that elevated blood levels of CRP (C-reactive protein) are a key biomarker of inflammation and may predict increased risk of cardiovascular or metabolic disease, we know very little about the triggers of inflammation itself.

Using data from the Add Health National Longitudinal Study, physicians assessed CRP levels in nearly 7,000 young adults aged 24 to 32 years and also retrospectively assessed their birth weight and breastfeeding duration data.

And what did their analysis show?

  • That low birth weight and short duration of breastfeeding were associated with higher CRP levels in early adulthood.
  • That with each extra pound of birth weight, CRP levels in early adulthood were 5% lower.
  • That CRP levels were 20-30% lower in those young adults who were breastfed between 3 and 12 months compared to those who were not breastfed at all.

Doctors hope their study will encourage moms to breastfeed longer, especially for low birth weight babies, and thus lead to improved health in the adult population.