Breastfeeding is associated with waist-to-height ratio in young adults
Bohr, A.D.; Boardman, J.D.; Domingue, B.W.; McQueen, M.B.
Bmc Public Health 15: 1281
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 1471-2458 PMID: 26700003 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2611-7Document Number: 642841
The current study investigated the association between breastfeeding and adult weight distribution using an emerging indicator of weight distribution, the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). The study sample consisted of two subsamples of individuals that were part of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. One sample (n = 1,179) consisted of individuals from the sibling pair data. A second sample (n = 4,648) consisted of individuals that were not part of the paired data. Regression models were constructed to establish if there was a relationship between breastfeeding and two measures of weight distribution: WHtR and body mass index (BMI). Controls for parental socioeconomic status, maternal smoking, race, sex, age, birth weight, maternal BMI, genetic ancestry, and a genetic risk score (GRS) for obesity were included. In addition, a behavioral risk score (BRS) was constructed to control for other residual confounding factors. A significant, inverse relationship between breastfeeding and adult WHtR persisted in models constructed from the sibling pair sample (P = 0.002) and unrelated sample (P < 0.0001). This association remained significant with the inclusion of ancestry principal components, GRS, and a measure of maternal obesity. The moderate association between breastfeeding and weight distribution persists into adulthood while controlling for potential confounders. This paper also provides evidence that the WHtR may be a superior outcome measure to BMI in studies investigating breastfeeding and obesity.