Breastfeeding and snoring: a birth cohort study

• Published in: PloS one 2014-01, Vol.9 (1), p.e84956-e84956
• Main Authors: Brew, Bronwyn K, Marks, Guy B, Almqvist, Catarina, Cistulli, Peter A, Webb, Karen, Marshall, Nathaniel S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjustment; Age; Analysis; Apnea; Asthma; Asthma - complications; Asthma - physiopathology; Atopy; Australia; Baby foods; Biology; Body mass; Body Mass Index; Breast feeding; Breast Feeding - statistics & numerical data; Breastfeeding & lactation; Breathing; Child; Child, Preschool; Childhood asthma; Children; Children & youth; Clinical trials; Cohort analysis; Epidemiology; Female; Genetics; Hospitals; Humans; Hypotheses; Infant; Infants; Logistic Models; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical research; Medical schools; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicine; Parents; Pediatrics; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Prevention; Respiratory tract; Rhinitis; Risk; Risk Factors; Risk reduction; Sleep; Sleep apnea; Sleep Apnea Syndromes - complications; Sleep Apnea Syndromes - physiopathology; Sleep disorders; Snoring - complications; Snoring - physiopathology; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084956

To investigate the relationship between breastfeeding and snoring in childhood. In a cohort of children with a family history of asthma who were recruited antenatally we prospectively recorded data on infant feeding practices throughout the first year of life. Snoring status and witnessed sleep apnea were measured at age 8 years by parent-completed questionnaire. Associations were estimated by logistic regression with, and without, adjustment for sets of confounders designed to exclude biasing effects. Habitual snoring was reported in 18.8% of the sample, and witnessed apnea in 2.7%. Any breastfeeding for longer than one month was associated with a reduced risk of habitual snoring at age 8 (adjusted OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.81) and duration of breastfeeding was inversely associated with the prevalence of habitual snoring (adjusted OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.00). Any breastfeeding for longer than 1 month was associated with a lower risk of witnessed sleep apnea (adjusted OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.71). The protective associations were not mediated by BMI, current asthma, atopy or rhinitis at age 8 years. Breastfeeding for longer than one month decreases the risk of habitual snoring and witnessed apneas in this cohort of children with a family history of asthma. The underlying mechanism remains unclear but the finding would be consistent with a beneficial effect of the breast in the mouth on oropharyngeal development with consequent protection against upper airway dysfunction causing sleep-disordered breathing.