title: Infant feeding patterns and midlife erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Nutrition Research, Landspitali-University Hospital & Department of Food Science, University of Iceland, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland. ingigun@landspitali.is
authors.forename: Ingibjorg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gunnarsdottir
authors.forename: Thor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aspelund
authors.forename: Bryndis E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Birgisdottir
authors.forename: Rafn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benediktsson
authors.forename: Vilmundur
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gudnason
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Thorsdottir
mesh_terms: 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