Another article from the BMJ:

Effect of breast feeding in infancy on blood pressure in later life:
systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective To determine whether breast feeding in infancy compared with
bottle feeding formula milk is associated with lower mean blood pressure at
different ages.
Design Systematic review.
Data sources Embase, Medline, and Web of Science databases.
Study selection Studies showing the effects of feeding in infancy on blood
pressure at different ages.
Data extraction Pooled mean differences in blood pressure between breast fed
infants and those bottle fed formula milk, based on random effects models.
Data synthesis The pooled mean difference in systolic blood pressure
was -1.10 mm Hg (95% confidence interval -1.79 to -0.42 mm Hg) but with
significant heterogeneity between estimates (P < 0.001). The difference was
largest in studies of < 300 participants (-2.05 mm Hg, -3.30 to -0.80 mm
Hg), intermediate in studies of 300-1000 participants (1.13 mm Hg, -2.53 to
0.27 mm Hg), and smallest in studies of > 1000 participants (-0.16 mm
Hg, -0.60 to 0.28 mm Hg). An Egger test but not Begg test was statistically
significant for publication bias. The difference was unaltered by adjustment
for current size and was independent of age at measurement of blood pressure
and year of birth. Diastolic blood pressure was not significantly related to
type of feeding in infancy.
Conclusions Selective publication of small studies with positive findings
may have exaggerated claims that breast feeding in infancy reduces systolic
blood pressure in later life. The results of larger studies suggest that
feeding in infancy has at most a modest effect on blood pressure, which is
of limited clinical or public health importance.


http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/bmj;327/7425/1189


groetjes
Sara Bernard, The Netherlands

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