Association of Breastfeeding with Maternal Visceral Adiposity Postmenopause Among Three Racial/ Ethnic Groups

OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between breastfeeding and visceral adiposity postmenopause. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were community-dwelling women aged 55–80 from the Caucasian Rancho Bernardo Study, the Filipino Women’s Health Study, and the Health Assessment Study of African-American Women who had visceral adipose tissue (VAT) measurements by computed tomography between 2000–2002. Linear regression was used to determine the association between average breastfeeding duration per child and VAT. RESULTS: In Caucasian, Filipino and African-American women, average number of live births was 3, 4 and 3; average breastfeeding duration was 4.3, 1.8 and 5.1 months, respectively. Filipino women had more live births, were more likely to breastfeed, and breastfed shorter durations. African-American women had lower VAT, despite higher subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), BMI and waist girth. Women who breastfed >3 months on average had 8.8 cm(3) lower VAT than women who breastfed ≤3 months, independent of covariates. Women who initiated breastfeeding had lower BMI and waist girth than those who did not, but did not differ by VAT unless they breastfed >3 months. Associations were independent of race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest breastfeeding initiation is associated with reduced BMI and smaller waist girth and breastfeeding >3 month is associated with lower VAT postmenopause.