Premium
Does Exclusive Breastfeeding Affect Maternal and Infant Body Composition?
Author(s) -
Anderson Alex Kojo
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a118-b
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , medicine , overweight , pregnancy , weight gain , obesity , formula feeding , gestation , composition (language) , body weight , obstetrics , zoology , pediatrics , endocrinology , biology , linguistics , philosophy , genetics
Studies examining the protective effect of breastfeeding against overweight/obesity have focused mainly on body composition after delivery, neglecting the potential effect of percent maternal body fat during pregnancy on weight loss and infant body composition. We examined how infant feeding affected early postpartum (pp) body composition. Maternal body composition was measured at 36 wks gestation for percent body fat (%BF). After delivery, maternal and infant body compositions were assessed at 2, 4, 8, and 12 wks using the BOD POD and PEA POD, respectively. Preliminary data at 1 month pp shows that mean maternal age and pregnancy weight gain were 29.6±5.7 yrs and 14.7±3.9 kg, respectively. Results show that there are no significant differences in maternal weight and %BF at 2 and 4 wks pp, although mothers who exclusively breastfed (EBF) tended to lose more total body weight (p=0.075). The %BF was 11.8% vs. 5.8% (p=0.021) and 17.7% vs. 13.4% (p=0.162) at 2 and 4 wks pp for infants EBF and mixed feeding, respectively. The rate of gain in infant %BF did not differ significantly between the 2 groups, although infants who were mixed fed tended to gain more %BF (7.6%) compared to their counterparts who were EBF (5.9%). The difference in maternal weight loss and %BF, and rate of body fat accumulation for the infant, though not statistically significant, are of great public health importance to future health outcomes. Supported by: The College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia