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Comparative Study
. 2014 Dec:69:146-50.
doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.09.018. Epub 2014 Oct 5.

Effects of breastfeeding on postpartum weight loss among U.S. women

Marian P Jarlenski  1 , Wendy L Bennett  2 , Sara N Bleich  3 , Colleen L Barry  3 , Elizabeth A Stuart  4
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Effects of breastfeeding on postpartum weight loss among U.S. women

Marian P Jarlenski et al. Prev Med. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of breastfeeding on maternal weight loss in the 12months postpartum among U.S. women.

Methods: Using data from a national cohort of U.S. women conducted in 2005-2007 (N=2102), we employed propensity scores to match women who breastfed exclusively and non-exclusive for at least three months to comparison women who had not breastfed or breastfed for less than three months. Outcomes included postpartum weight loss at 3, 6, 9, and 12months postpartum; and the probability of returning to pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) category and the probability of returning to pre-pregnancy weight.

Results: Compared to women who did not breastfeed or breastfed non-exclusively, exclusive breastfeeding for at least 3months resulted in 3.2 pound (95% CI: 1.4,4.7) greater weight loss at 12months postpartum, a 6.0-percentage-point increase (95% CI: 2.3,9.7) in the probability of returning to the same or lower BMI category postpartum; and a 6.1-percentage-point increase (95% CI: 1.0,11.3) in the probability of returning to pre-pregnancy weight or lower postpartum. Non-exclusive breastfeeding did not significantly affect any outcomes.

Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that exclusive breastfeeding for at least three months has a small effect on postpartum weight loss among U.S. women.

Keywords: Breastfeeding; Infant Feeding Practices Study II; Obesity; Weight loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Effects of exclusive and non-exclusive breastfeeding for three months on weight loss during the 12 months postpartum among U.S. women, 2005-2007
Notes: Exclusive breastfeeding defined as feeding an infant breast milk exclusively for at least three months. Matched control group defined as exclusive or non-exclusive feeding of breast milk less than three months or never breastfeeding. Non-exclusive breastfeeding defined as feeding an infant breast milk non-exclusively for at least three months. Matched control group defined as feeding an infant any breast milk less than three months or never breastfeeding. Doubly robust analyses adjusted for matching covariates shown in Table 2. One pound=0.45 kilogram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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