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The association between duration of breastfeeding and the trajectory of brain development from childhood to young adulthood: an 8-year longitudinal study

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Abstract

Breastfeeding has been associated with several short- and long-term health benefits, including positive cognitive and behavioral outcomes. However, the impact of breastfeeding on structural brain development over time remains unclear. We aimed to assess the association between breastfeeding duration in childhood and the developmental trajectory of overall cortical thickness, cortical area, and total intracranial volume during the transition from childhood to early adulthood. Participants included 670 children and adolescents with 1326 MRI scans acquired over 8 years from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort for Mental Conditions (BHRCS). Breastfeeding was assessed using a questionnaire answered by the parents. Brain measures were estimated using MRI T1-weighted images at three time points, with 3-year intervals. Data were evaluated using generalized additive models adjusted for multiple confounders. We found that a longer breastfeeding duration was directly associated with higher global cortical thickness in the left (edf = 1.0, F = 6.07, p = 0.01) and right (edf = 1.0, F = 4.70, p = 0.03) hemispheres. For the total intracranial volume, we found an interaction between duration of breastfeeding and developmental stage (edf = 1.0, F = 6.81, p = 0.009). No association was found between breastfeeding duration and brain area. Our study suggests that the duration of breastfeeding impacts overall cortical thickness and the development of total brain volume, but not area. This study adds to the evidence on the potential impact of breastfeeding on brain development and provides relevant insights into the mechanisms by which breastfeeding might confer cognitive and mental health benefits.

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Availability of data and material

The data can be provided upon request by the corresponding author (LG).

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The code can be provided upon request by the corresponding author (LG).

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Funding

This study was financed by with grants from the National Institute of Development Psychiatric for Children and Adolescent (INPD; Grants: CNPq 465550/2014-2, FAPESP 2014/50917-0, and European Research Council [FP7/2007-2013]/Grant 337673, The Medical Research Council-United Kingdom).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), School of Medicine, Avenida Ipiranga, 6681-Partenon, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, 90619-900, Brazil

    Laura Tietzmann Grevet

  2. Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Danielle Soares Teixeira

  3. National Institute of Developmental Psychiatry for Children and Adolescents (INCT-CNPq), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Pedro Mario Pan, Andrea Parolin Jackowski, André Zugman, Euripedes Constantino Miguel, Luis Augusto Rohde & Giovanni Abrahão Salum

  4. Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Iterdisciplinary Lab for Clinical Neurosciences (LiNC), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Pedro Mario Pan, Andrea Parolin Jackowski & André Zugman

  5. Department and Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Euripedes Constantino Miguel

  6. ADHD Outpatient Program and Developmental Psychiatry Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Luis Augusto Rohde

  7. Child Mind Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Giovanni Abrahão Salum

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  1. Laura Tietzmann Grevet
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Contributions

LG and GS conceptualized and designed the study, carried out the initial analyses, drafted the initial manuscript, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. DT, LR, EM, PP, AJ and AZ critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. All the authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

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Correspondence to Laura Tietzmann Grevet.

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The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

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This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of São Paulo and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre.

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Written and verbal informed consent was obtained from the parents.

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Grevet, L.T., Teixeira, D.S., Pan, P.M. et al. The association between duration of breastfeeding and the trajectory of brain development from childhood to young adulthood: an 8-year longitudinal study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02283-9

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