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. 2016 Dec;24(12):2471-2474.
doi: 10.1002/oby.21682.

Cortisol in human milk predicts child BMI

Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook  1 , Tran Bao Le  2 , Anna Chung  2 , Elysia Poggi Davis  3   4 , Laura M Glynn  1   4
Affiliations

Cortisol in human milk predicts child BMI

Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Breastfeeding has been linked to lower rates of childhood obesity. Human milk contains cortisol, known to regulate glucose storage and metabolism. The aim of this study was to to test the hypothesis that early exposure to cortisol in human breast milk helps to modulate infant body mass index (BMI) trajectories over the first 2 years of life.

Methods: Growth curve modeling was used to examine whether infant exposure to cortisol in human milk at 3 months predicted changes in child body mass index percentile (BMIP) at 6, 12, and 24 months of age in 51 breastfeeding mother-child pairs.

Results: Infants exposed to higher milk cortisol levels at 3 months were less likely to exhibit BMIP gains over the first 2 years of life, compared with infants exposed to lower milk cortisol. By age 2, infants exposed to higher milk cortisol levels had lower BMIPs than infants exposed to lower milk cortisol. Milk cortisol was a stronger predictor of BMIP change in girls than boys.

Conclusions: Cortisol exposure through human milk may help to program metabolic functioning and childhood obesity risk. Further, because infant formula contains only trace amounts of glucocorticoids, these findings suggest that cortisol in milk is a novel biological pathway through which breastfeeding may protect against later obesity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Milk Cortisol Exposure at 3 months and Changes in Body Mass Index Percentile (BMIP) Across the First Two Years of Life for Male and Female Infants
Girls exposed to higher milk cortisol levels at three-months of age exhibited significantly less BMIP gains over the first 2 years of life compared to girls exposed to lower milk cortisol levels. By 24 months of age, infants, regardless of sex, exposed to higher levels of milk cortisol had lower BMIPs than infants exposed to lower levels of milk cortisol. For graphing purposes, high and low cortisol levels were estimated for milk cortisol levels at one standard deviation above and below the mean, respectively. The model estimates are adjusted for maternal weight gain in pregnancy and the time of day of the milk cortisol collection. Infant age was modeled as a continuous variable (in months).
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