Study: Babies Breastfed for at Least a Year Less Likely to Suffer Adult Obesity

A recent study indicated that babies breastfed for more than a year or more are more likely to be protected against obesity into adulthood.

The experiment used rodent pups that were given mother's milk for a prolonged period. The findings revealed that the rodent pups fed with mother's milk did not put on weight, even when provided with junk food. Researchers said that delayed weaning protected the rats against obesity later in life, which is expected in humans, Newsweek reports.

The researchers from Compostela University in Spain modeled prolonged breastfeeding in human infants by weaning litters born to standard chow-fed dams either three or four weeks after birth.

The Spanish team found that rats subjected to delayed weaning and those given a chow diet did not differ in body weight from those subjected to standard time and diet.

However, when the rats were fed a high-fat diet, the rats with delayed weaning had substantially lower body weight than those subjected to standard time and diet.

The study was published Monday in the journal Nature Metabolism.

A biological mechanism makes it possible

According to author Professor Ruben Nogueiras of Santiago of Compostela University, rodent pups that were allowed to breastfeed longer are less likely to become obese during adulthood. He also explained that a biological mechanism explained the phenomenon. Prolonged exposure to breastmilk, according to Nature, released a liver protein called FGF21 (fibroblast growth factor 21) that triggers brown adipose tissues or good fats that burn calories. The liver protein also reaches the hypothalamus, a brain region controlling energy consumption and utilization in the body.

The occurrence leads to increased mobilization and use of fat tissue, as well as increased energy expenditure.

The recent findings show the long-lasting benefits of breastfeeding. As per previous research, drinking mother's milk for prolonged periods reduces the risk of metabolic conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes - the form linked to unhealthy lifestyles.

Read Also: Reasons Why Many US Working Moms Barely Support AAP's New Breastfeeding Recommendation

Nogueiras explained that while maternal nutrition has been studied extensively, there are few studies on the effect of breastfeeding on the reprogramming of energy balance in childhood and throughout adulthood. The study revealed that delayed weaning in rat pups protects them against diet-induced obesity in the majority and through enhanced brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and energy expenditure.

Breastfeeding babies for prolonged periods protects them against adult obesity by affecting long-lasting physiological changes in liver-to-hypothalamus communication and hypothalamic metabolic regulation.

Reality of moms

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that moms breastfeed their babies up to two years of age, which is being done in some societies

In the U.S., working moms find the recommendation a tall order. Although most moms breastfeed after birth, only 28.8 percent breastfeed until the sixth month.

As per Scary Moms, this is because there is a big gap in support for breastfeeding parents. In the country, there are little to no policies on paid parental leave for moms who have just given birth; most workplaces lack lactation programs and hygienic breastfeeding stations all over the country.

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