Infant feeding patterns and midlife erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and other coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in adults who were either breast- or bottle-fed in early infancy.


METHODS
Subjects were 3614 men and women born 1914-1935. Information on infant feeding patterns was gathered from original midwife's birth records. Adult ESR, triglycerides, total cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose, weight and height were measured.


RESULTS
The number of subjects bottle-fed in early infancy was 186 (5.2%). The geometric mean of ESR was 15.9% (95% CI 1.8%-31.8%) higher in those who were bottle-fed compared with those breastfed, p = 0.026, when adjusting for age and gender. Those who had been breastfed in early infancy had on average 2.9% higher BMI in adulthood (p = 0.012). The hazard ratio for event of CHD for bottle-fed persons versus breastfed was 1.18 (95% CI 0.88-1.57), adjusting for potential confounding factors.


CONCLUSIONS
Higher adult ESR, a moderate risk factor for CHD, among those bottle-fed compared to those breastfed in early infancy might indicate a long term anti-inflammatory influence of breast milk.
Gunnarsdottir
Ingibjorg
I
Unit for Nutrition Research, Landspitali-University Hospital & Department of Food Science, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland. ingigun@landspitali.is
Aspelund
Thor
T
Birgisdottir
Bryndis E
BE
Benediktsson
Rafn
R
Gudnason
Vilmundur
V
Thorsdottir
Inga
I
D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate