Association between Breastfeeding and Prevalence of Diabetes in Korean Parous Women: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2010-2014

Background: It is well known that breastfeeding has a significant impact on the health of mothers and children. With the growing importance of breastfeeding, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding and the prevalence of diabetes in Korean parous women. Methods: The data of 5,448 premenopausal parous women aged 20-49 years who agreed to participate in the 5th-6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed in this study. Control group included women who had not breastfed. The subjects who had breastfed were classified into three groups based on the duration of breastfeeding: 0-6 months, 6-12 months, and >12 months. The variables included age, body mass index, education level, income, alcohol drinking, smoking, family history of diabetes, use of oral contraceptives, the number of pregnancies, and regular exercise. Results: Among the subjects, the prevalence of diabetes was significantly lower in women who had breastfed compared to those who had not, with an odds ratio of 0.534 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.289-0.976) in women who breastfed for 0-6 months and 0.575 (95% CI, 0.321-0.990) in women who breastfed for 6-12 months (both P<0.05). Conclusion: The present study found a reduced prevalence of diabetes in women who had breastfed compared to those who had not. However, no association between the duration of breastfeeding and the prevalence of diabetes could be found.