Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Mar;198(3):268.e1-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.11.044. Epub 2008 Jan 14.

Duration of lactation is associated with lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in midlife--SWAN, the study of women's health across the nation

Kavitha T Ram  1 , Paul Bobby, Susan M Hailpern, Joan C Lo, Miriam Schocken, Joan Skurnick, Nanette Santoro
Affiliations

Duration of lactation is associated with lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in midlife--SWAN, the study of women's health across the nation

Kavitha T Ram et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate whether lactation duration is associated with lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) in midlife, parous women.

Study design: This was a cross-sectional cohort analysis of 2516 parous, midlife women using multivariable logistic regression to determine the independent association of lactation and lactation duration on prevalence of MetSyn.

Results: One thousand six hundred twenty women (64.4%) reported a history of breast-feeding, with average lifetime duration of lactation of 1.16 (+/- 1.04) years. MetSyn was present in 536 women (21.3%). Adjusting for age, smoking history, parity, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, study site, physical activity, caloric intake, and high school body mass index, women with prior lactation had significantly lower odds of MetSyn (odds ratio [OR] 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63 to 0.99). Furthermore, increasing duration of lactation was similarly associated with lower odds of MetSyn (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.99).

Conclusion: Duration of lactation is associated with lower prevalence of MetSyn in a dose-response manner in midlife, parous women.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Lactation and midlife metabolic syndrome: Ram et al.
    Macones GA, Stamilio DM, Jungheim E, Cahill AG, Goetzinger K. Macones GA, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Mar;198(3):338-9; discussion e1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2008.01.031. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008. PMID: 18313457 No abstract available.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Haffner SM, Valdez RA, Hazuda HP, Mitchell BD, Morales PA, Stern MP. Prospective analysis of the insulin-resistance syndrome (syndrome X) Diabetes. 1992;41:715–22. - PubMed
    1. Kip KE, Marroquin OC, Kelley DE, Johnson BD, Kelsey SF, Shaw LJ, Rogers WJ, Reis SE. Clinical Importance of obesity versus MetSyn in cardiovascular risk in women: a report from the Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) study. Circulation. 2004;109:706–13. - PubMed
    1. Trevisan M, Liu J, Bahsas FB, Menotti A. Syndrome X and mortality: a population- based study. Risk Factor and Life Expectancy Research Group. Am J of Epidemiology. 1998;148(10):958–966. - PubMed
    1. Brewer MM, Bates MR, Vannoy LP. Postpartum changes in maternal weight and body fat depots in lactating vs. nonlactating women. Am J Clinical Nutrition. 1989;49:259–265. - PubMed
    1. Sichieri R, Field AE, Rich-Edwards J, Willett WC. Prospective assessment of exclusive breastfeeding in relation to weight change in women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003;27:815–820. - PubMed

Publication types