Breast Milk: A Postnatal Link Between Maternal Life Choices and the Prevention of Childhood Obesity

The prevention of diabetes and obesity in the young starts with the prevention and treatment of modifiable maternal risk factors encompassing the period from before conception until weaning. Major modifiable variables are characteristics and behaviors that include prepregnancy weight, gestational we...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical therapeutics 2018-10, Vol.40 (10), p.1655-1658
Main Author: Ramos-Roman, Maria A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adipocytes
Age
Blood glucose
Body composition
Body weight gain
Breast feeding
Breast milk
breastfeeding
Breastfeeding & lactation
Childhood
childhood obesity
Children
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Exposure
Hormones
infants
Insulin
Lipids
Longitudinal studies
Low concentrations
Metabolism
Milk
Mothers
Nutrition
Obesity
Offspring
Pregnancy
Prevention
Risk analysis
Risk factors
Weaning
Weight control
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The prevention of diabetes and obesity in the young starts with the prevention and treatment of modifiable maternal risk factors encompassing the period from before conception until weaning. Major modifiable variables are characteristics and behaviors that include prepregnancy weight, gestational weight gain, glycemia, and intensity and duration of breastfeeding. Much of the early programming of resistance or vulnerability to age-related diseases is influenced by the integrated balance of maternal hormones transferred to the offspring by milk. This whole-body programming/reprogramming of milk recipient (infant) and milk donor (mother) may be involved in the dose effect of human milk on a healthier body composition and metabolic function in the mother–infant pair following the period of exposure. The pattern and trajectory of weight and metabolic characteristics vary between the active period of exposure and postexposure. In addition, the optimal hormone ranges in maternal circulation and milk need to be determined beyond the observation that extremely high and extremely low concentrations may be detrimental for the mother–infant pair. This commentary discusses the metabolic implications of breastfeeding for this pair.
ISSN:0149-2918
1879-114X
DOI:10.1016/j.clinthera.2018.08.018