Breast Feeding Lowers
Blood Pressure Later in Life

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Results of a new study may give women one more reason to breastfeed: they could be helping their baby avoid heart disease and stroke later in life.

In a study of 216 children who were born prematurely, consuming breastmilk in the first months of life was associated with lower blood pressure at ages 13 to 16.

Average blood pressure was just over 4 mm/Hg lower in 66 teenagers who received breastmilk at birth compared with those who received formula, the report indicates.

The researchers estimate that the lower reading would have ''substantial public health implications.'' Reducing average blood pressure in the adult population by just 2 points could have a big impact on the risk of heart disease and stroke, according to Dr. Atul Singhal and colleagues from the Institute of Child Health in London, UK.

There was no difference in average blood pressure readings between the group that received a formula designed specifically for preterm infants and the group that received standard formula, the authors note in the February 10th issue of The Lancet.

But in an accompanying editorial, Dr. Susan B. Roberts, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, notes that it is not clear whether the findings will translate into a lower risk of heart disease. While blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, other factors such as body weight and cholesterol levels also play important roles.

``Information is needed on the long-term effect of formula on other known risk factors, such as blood lipids and body fatness,'' Roberts writes.

In an interview with Reuters Health, she added that studies will need to be carried out on infants born full term.

``There are some big questions that are still unresolved,'' Roberts said.

SOURCE: The Lancet 2001;357:406-407, 413-419.

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