American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 198, Issue 3 , Pages 268.e1-268.e6, March 2008

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

Presented at the 17th Annual Meeting of the North American Menopause Society, Nashville, TN, Oct. 11-14, 2006.

  • Kavitha T. Ram, MD, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
    • Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
    • ,
  • Paul Bobby, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
    • ,
  • Susan M. Hailpern, DrPH, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
    • ,
  • Joan C. Lo, MD

      Affiliations

    • Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA
    • ,
  • Miriam Schocken, PhD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Division of Geriatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
    • ,
  • Joan Skurnick, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, New Jersey Medical School–University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ.
    • ,
  • Nanette Santoro, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprints: Nanette Santoro, MD, Director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Mazer Bldg, Room 316, Bronx, NY 10461.

Received 6 June 2007; received in revised form 14 September 2007; accepted 21 November 2007. published online 21 January 2008.

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.

Key words: lactation, metabolic syndrome, parity

 

 The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) has grant support from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, through the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Nursing Research, and the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health (Grants NR004061, AG012505, AG012535, AG012531, AG012539, AG012546, AG012553, AG012554, and AG012495).

 Cite this article as: Ram KT, Bobby P, Hailpern SM, et al. Duration of lactation is associated with lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in midlife—SWAN, the study of women’s health across the nation. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;198:268.e1-268.e6.

PII: S0002-9378(07)02226-0

doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2007.11.044

American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Volume 198, Issue 3 , Pages 268.e1-268.e6, March 2008