International Journal of Epidemiology 2001;30:481-484
© International Epidemiological Association 2001
Child Health in Africa |
Commentary: Does breastfeeding for longer cause children to be shorter?
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR, UK. E-mail: richard.martin@bristol.ac.uk
Historically, prolonged lactation has been a traditional practice in many communities, reportedly reaching 15 years amongst Eskimos in 19th century King William Land.1 Nevertheless, there has long been speculation that extended breastfeeding adversely impacts on maternal and child health. A note in the Lancet in 1842 records the case of a woman who breastfed her child for over 3 years and then developed epilepsy.1 The attending physician wrote: ‘The worst symptoms of debility at last attended this monstrous proceeding’.
More recently an association between prolonged breastfeeding, typically defined as any breastfeeding beyond the first year of life, and malnutrition has been reported.2,3 At face value this finding calls into question current advice that children should continue to be breastfed, while receiving appropriate and adequate complementary foods, until at least 2 years of age.4 However, a non-causal explanation for the observed association,
Public health significance
Inconsistencies in results
Reverse causality
Remote effects of breastfeeding
Conclusion
References
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