Effect of suboptimal breast-feeding on occurrence of autism: A case–control study

Objective: To evaluate the association between suboptimal breast-feeding practices and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Methods: A case–control study was conducted in 102 ASD cases and 102 matched healthy controls. Results: Based on adjusted odds ratios from logistic regression models, ASD was found to be associated with the late initiation of breast-feeding (odds ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.01– 3.1), a non-intake of colostrum (odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.03–4.3), prelacteal feeding, and bottle-feeding. The risk of ASD was found to decrease in a dose–response fashion over increasing periods of exclusive breast-feeding (P for trend ¼ 0.04) and continued breast-feeding (P for trend ¼ 0.001). Conclusion: The study indicates that increased ASD risk is generally associated with suboptimal breast-feeding practices.