Breastfeeding duration has no bearing on IBD risk in offspring

The duration of exclusive or any breastfeeding does not appear to influence the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in infants, according to a study.

For the study, researchers used data from three population-based birth cohorts (Danish National Birth Cohort, Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort, and All Babies in Southeast Sweden) and cross-linked national registers to explore the impact of breastfeeding duration on offspring IBD risk in each country.

Meta-analyses and Cox proportional regression were performed. A total of 148,737 offspring were included in the analysis for exclusive breastfeeding duration and 169,510 offspring in the analysis of any breastfeeding duration.

IBD was diagnosed in 543 offspring during median follow-up of 16.3 to 22.3 years. Exclusive breastfeeding duration showed no association with the risk of IBD in offspring across the three birth cohorts. This result persisted despite adjustments for birth year (Denmark), offspring sex, parental IBD status, maternal education, smoking during pregnancy, age at delivery, mode of delivery, preterm birth, and small for gestational age.

The pooled adjusted hazard ratio for IBD was 1.24 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.94–1.62; I²=0.0 percent) among offspring breastfed exclusively for ≥6 months and 1.02 (95 percent CI, 0.85–1.21; I²=0.0 percent) among offspring breastfed exclusively for <4 months relative to those who were breastfed exclusively for 4–5 months.

Null associations were likewise found between any breastfeeding duration and IBD, subtypes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as in cohort-specific analyses.