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Is Being Breastfed as an Infant Associated with Adult Pulmonary Function?

Departments of Medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (A.S., B.J.B.G., H.J.S.)
Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, State University of New York (J.L.F., B.J.B.G., P.M., H.M.O.-B., S.E.M., M.T., H.J.S.)
Veterans Affairs Medical Center (B.J.B.G., H.J.S.)
Department of Epidemiology, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (S.E.M.), Buffalo, New York
Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (H.J.S.)
Center for High Technology Research, Catholic University, Campobasso (L.I.)
Division of Clinical Research Development and Information Translation, Italian National Cancer Institute Regina Elena, Rome (H.J.S.), Italy

Address reprint requests to: Holger J. Schünemann, MD, PhD, Division of Clinical Research Development and Information Translation, (INFORMA), Italian National Cancer Institute Regina Elena, Rome, Via Elio Chianesi 53, 00144 Rome, ITALY. E-mail: schunemann{at}ifo.it

Objective: Breastfeeding reduces the risk of asthma and respiratory infections in infants. Since respiratory infections are associated with reduced pulmonary function in adolescents, pulmonary function impairment may be carried into adulthood. Our aim was to determine whether a history of having been breastfed as an infant is a determinant of adult pulmonary function.

Methods: We analyzed data from a general population sample of residents of Erie and Niagara Counties between September 1995 and December 1999. We calculated forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) and forced vital capacity (FVC) prediction equations and used multiple linear regression models to study the association between having been breastfed as an infant and percentage predicted FEV₁ (FEV₁%) and percentage predicted FVC (FVC%) after adjustment for covariates.

Results: Of 2305 subjects, 62% reported having been breastfed. After controlling for age, gender, weight, smoking status, pack-years of smoking, eosinophil counts and dietary factors, there was no association between having been breastfed (yes/no) and FEV₁% or FVC% (regression coefficients 0.0049, p = 0.46 and 0.0055, p = 0.43, respectively).

Conclusions: We did not find a strong or consistent association between having been breastfed as an infant and pulmonary function in adulthood.

Key words: breastfeeding, pulmonary function, forced expiratory volume in one second, forced vital capacity, lung function

Abbreviations: FEV₁ = forced expiratory volume in one second • FVC = forced vital capacity • FEV₁% = percentage predicted FEV₁ • FVC% = percentage predicted FVC • COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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