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Breastfeeding Versus Formula-Feeding and Girls’ Pubertal Development

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Abstract

To examine the association of breastfeeding or its duration with timing of girls’ pubertal onset, and the role of BMI as a mediator in these associations. A population of 1,237 socio-economically and ethnically diverse girls, ages 6–8 years, was recruited across three geographic locations (New York City, Cincinnati, and the San Francisco Bay Area) in a prospective study of predictors of pubertal maturation. Breastfeeding practices were assessed using self-administered questionnaire/interview with the primary caregiver. Girls were seen on at least annual basis to assess breast and pubic hair development. The association of breastfeeding with pubertal timing was estimated using parametric survival analysis while adjusting for body mass index, ethnicity, birth-weight, mother’s education, mother’s menarcheal age, and family income. Compared to formula fed girls, those who were mixed-fed or predominantly breastfed showed later onset of breast development [hazard ratios 0.90 (95 % CI 0.75, 1.09) and 0.74 (95 % CI 0.59, 0.94), respectively]. Duration of breastfeeding was also directly associated with age at onset of breast development (p trend = 0.008). Associations between breastfeeding and pubic hair onset were not significant. In stratified analysis, the association of breastfeeding and later breast onset was seen in Cincinnati girls only. The association between breast feeding and pubertal onset varied by study site. More research is needed about the environments within which breastfeeding takes place in order to better understand whether infant feeding practices are a potentially modifiable risk factor that may influence age at onset of breast development and subsequent risk for disease in adulthood.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by U01ES012770, U01ES012771, U01ES012800, U01ES012801, U01ES019435, U01ES019453, U01ES019454, and U01ES019457 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI); P01ES009584 and P30ES006096 from NIEHS; and UL1RR024131, UL1RR029887 and UL1RR026314 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIEHS, the NCI, the NCRR, the National Institutes of Health, or the California Department of Public Health. We also gratefully acknowledge support of the Avon Foundation for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Aarti Kale, Julianna Deardorff & Maureen Lahiff

  2. Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA

    Cecile Laurent, Anousheh Mirabedi, Molly Lasater & Lawrence H. Kushi

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Louise C. Greenspan

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Robert A. Hiatt

  5. California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA

    Gayle Windham

  6. Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Maida P. Galvez

  7. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Frank M. Biro

  8. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Susan M. Pinney

  9. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Susan L. Teitelbaum & Mary S. Wolff

  10. Zero Breast Cancer, San Rafael, CA, USA

    Janice Barlow

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  1. Aarti Kale
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  2. Julianna Deardorff
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  3. Maureen Lahiff
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  4. Cecile Laurent
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  5. Louise C. Greenspan
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  7. Gayle Windham
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  8. Maida P. Galvez
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  9. Frank M. Biro
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  10. Susan M. Pinney
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  11. Susan L. Teitelbaum
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  12. Mary S. Wolff
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  13. Janice Barlow
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  14. Anousheh Mirabedi
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  15. Molly Lasater
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  16. Lawrence H. Kushi
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Correspondence to Aarti Kale.

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Kale, A., Deardorff, J., Lahiff, M. et al. Breastfeeding Versus Formula-Feeding and Girls’ Pubertal Development. Matern Child Health J 19, 519–527 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1533-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1533-9

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