Childhood obesity is a world wide public health issue with both immediate and long-term health effects (1). The etiology of obesity is multifactorial and studies indicate it is caused by the interaction between genes and environmental factors leading to the increase in body weight (2,3).

Researchers looking into gene-diet interactions have demonstrated that the obesity susceptibility gene (FTO) was associated with ‘increased and preferential consumption’ of fatty food and abnormal eating behavior described as ‘loss-of-control eating episodes’ when consuming high fat foods. Animal studies show carriers of the genes over-eat high fat foods but have normal eating behavior when fed with a low fat diet (3).

Human breast milk has numerous documented benefits. Studies looking at the effects of breastfeeding on obesity in adolescents and adults demonstrated a 15% to 30% reduction in obesity rates for those who any breastfeeding occurred compared to those who were not breast fed at all (4). Additionally, research on the duration of breastfeeding revealed that for each month of breastfeeding there is a 4% reduction in risk of being over weight (5). Research on the physiology of breastfeeding indicate the presence of hormones; leptin, ghrelin, obestatin, resistin and IGF-1 in human milk. Leptin acts in specific areas of the brain (hypothalamus) resulting in the increase of energy expenditure and reduction of food cravings (6).

Our research project seeks to investigate the effect of both exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding on growth trajectories and dietary choices of children carrying the obesity susceptibility genes.

References

1. Faith MS, Stettler N, Pietrobelli A. Engaging Primary Care Clinicians in Early Obesity Prevention Research. JAMA. 2015;314(8):823-824. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.6262.
2. Chesi A, Grant S. The Genetics of Pediatric Obesity. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2015;26(12):711-721.
3. Garver, W. S., Newman, S. B., Gonzales-Pacheco, D. M., Castillo, J. J., Jelinek, D., Heidenreich, R. A., & Orlando, R. A. (2013). The genetics of childhood obesity and interaction with dietary macronutrients. Genes & Nutrition, 8(3), 271–287. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12263-013-0339-5
4. Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/02/22/peds.2011...
5. Ip S, Chung M, Raman G, Trikalinos TA, Lau J. A summary of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s evidence report on breastfeeding in developed countries. Breastfeed Med. 2009;4(suppl 1):S17-S30
6. Savino, F., Liguori, S. A., Fissore, M. F., & Oggero, R. (2009). Breast Milk Hormones and Their Protective Effect on Obesity. International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2009, 327505. http://doi.org/10.1155/2009/327505