Effects of Promoting Longer-term and Exclusive Breastfeeding on Adiposity and Insulin-like Growth Factor-I at Age 11.5 Years.

The article focuses on a randomized-controlled trial which aims to investigate effects of an intervention to promote increased duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding on child adiposity and circulating insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I in Belarus. It mentions that the participants of this study included 17,046 breastfeeding mothers enrolled in 1996 and 1997, of whom 13,879 were followed up between January 2008 and December 2010 at a median age of 11.5 years. The main outcome measures included body mass index, percent body fat and waist circumference. The results indicated that breastfeeding has many advantages but population strategies to increase the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding are unlikely to curb the obesity epidemic.