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Breastfeeding paper reviewed by prestigious Faculty of 1000
Friday, 1 May 2009The conclusions of the study, co-authored by SPH’s Dr Abdullah Al Mamun and Professor Jake Najman, are described as ‘simple yet elegant’ by the website which sees peer-nominated leading researchers and clinicians identify and evaluate what they see as ‘the most important articles published in Medicine’.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics in February, found that breastfeeding protects against child maltreatment, particularly against events perpetrated by mothers.
The researchers, using data from the longitudinal Mater-University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), examined the duration of breastfeeding and, 15 years later, gathered information from child protection agencies on child abuse and neglect.
The researchers found that, as breastfeeding duration decreased, the odds of a child being maltreated by his/her mother within the next 15 years significantly increased.
The authors suggest that one potential explanatory mechanism for their finding is through the release of the neuropeptide oxytocin, which may help to elevate maternal mood and reduce maternal anxiety and stress. This finding is also consistent with animal models where oxytocin appears to influence maternal behaviour.
The Faculty of 1000 review can be read here.
Strathearn L, Mamun AA, Najman JM, O'Callaghan MJ, Does breastfeeding protect against substantiated child abuse and neglect? A 15-year cohort study. Pediatrics 2009 Feb 123(2):483-93
More information:
Dr Abdullah Al Mamun
Professor Jake Najman
Mater-University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP)
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