Breastfeeding, often touted for its many health benefits, has long been linked to both maternal and infant well-being. However, a recent systematic review published in the BMC Medicine revealed that the connection between breastfeeding and mental health disorders in mothers and children is not as clear as previously thought.
In this comprehensive analysis, researchers systematically reviewed studies published up to June 2, 2023, in renowned medical databases, MEDLINE and EMBASE, to evaluate the relationship between breastfeeding and mental health outcomes. Their findings shed new light on this crucial topic.
The review included twenty-one original studies, with 18 of them focusing on the association between breastfeeding and child health. These studies assessed various mental health disorders in children, such as depressive disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and borderline personality disorder. Additionally, three studies investigated the links between breastfeeding and maternal mental health disorders.
The results showed that for the children's outcomes, there was no significant association between breastfeeding and the occurrence of schizophrenia later in life. When examining depressive disorders and anxiety disorders, conflicting evidence emerged. Some studies suggested a small protective effect of breastfeeding, while others found no effect at all. However, it's important to note that the certainty of these findings was deemed very low due to multiple limitations.
Regarding maternal mental health disorders, the evidence was equally inconclusive. The three studies in this category were too diverse to draw any firm conclusions.
This systematic review revealed limited evidence to support a protective association between breastfeeding and the development of mental health disorders in children later in life. Furthermore, the data concerning the association between breastfeeding and maternal mental health beyond the postnatal period remained limited as well. The researchers emphasized that methodological limitations within the existing literature prevent definitive conclusions from being drawn.
Reference:
Bugaeva, P., Arkusha, I., Bikaev, R., Kamenskiy, I., Pokrovskaya, A., El-Taravi, Y., Caso, V., Avedisova, A., Torbahn, G., Nicholson, T. R., Gadetskaya, S., Kondrikova, E., Akzhigitov, R., … Munblit, D. (2023). Association of breastfeeding with mental disorders in mother and child: a systematic review and meta-analysis. In BMC Medicine (Vol. 21, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-03071-7