Breast feeding during infancy may lower risk of fractures later: Study

Researchers have found in a recent study that breast feeding during infancy was associated with a lower risk of lower limb fractures during young adulthood. They further found that maternal smoking was associated with a higher risk of upper limb fractures. The findings of the study have been published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Nutrition during infancy, while contributing to growth and over-all health during childhood, may thus have a significant impact on various adult health-related parameters.Peak bone mass, attained by early adulthood, is influenced by genetic and life-style factors. Early infant feeding and duration of breastfeeding in particular, associate with several health-related parameters in childhood.

In recent years, evidence has accumulated in support of the Barker hypothesis for bone development for breastfeeding, smoking in utero and birthweight. There are limited data for mode of feeding in early postnatal life. There is controversy about short term effects with most studies showing a deficit in bone mass in breast milk versus formula fed infants and one showing no effect with evidence suggestive of a catch up phase by 2 years in one of these cohorts . These studies have been restricted to pre-term infants and cannot be generalised to term infants as unsupplemented breast milk may not fully meet the mineralisation requirements of pre-term infants .