MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
Nutrients. 2012 Aug;4(8):859-74. doi: 10.3390/nu4080859. Epub 2012 Jul 26.
There is a growing recognition of the need for a lifecourse approach to understanding the aetiology of adult disease, and there is now significant evidence that links patterns of infant feeding to differences in health outcomes, both in the short and longer term. Breastfeeding is associated with lower rates of infection in infancy; in high-income populations, it is associated with reductions in blood pressure and total blood cholesterol, and lower risks of obesity and diabetes in adult life. Breastfeeding rates are suboptimal in many countries, and strategies to promote breastfeeding could therefore confer important benefits for health at a population level. However, there are particular challenges in defining nutritional exposures in infancy, including marked social gradients in initiation and duration of breastfeeding. In recent studies of low and middle-income populations of children and young adults, where the influences on infant feeding practice differ, beneficial effects of breastfeeding on blood pressure, BMI and risk of diabetes have not been confirmed, and further information is needed. Little is currently known about the long-term consequences of differences in the timing and nature of the weaning diet. Future progress will depend on new studies that provide detailed prospective data on duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding together with appropriate characterisation of the weaning diet.
人们越来越认识到，需要采用生命历程方法来理解成人疾病的病因，现在有大量证据表明，婴儿喂养模式与短期和长期的健康结果差异有关。母乳喂养与婴儿期感染率较低有关；在高收入人群中，它与降低血压和总胆固醇有关，并且降低了成年后患肥胖症和糖尿病的风险。在许多国家，母乳喂养率都不理想，因此，促进母乳喂养的策略可以为人群健康带来重要的益处。然而，在定义婴儿期的营养暴露方面存在特殊挑战，包括母乳喂养开始和持续时间的明显社会梯度。在最近对儿童和青年人群的低收入和中等收入国家的研究中，由于对婴儿喂养实践的影响不同，母乳喂养对血压、BMI 和糖尿病风险的有益影响尚未得到证实，还需要更多信息。目前对于断奶饮食的时间和性质差异的长期后果知之甚少。未来的进展将取决于新的研究，这些研究提供了关于母乳喂养持续时间和排他性的详细前瞻性数据，以及对断奶饮食的适当描述。
