According to a new meta-analysis published in the journal European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, maternal breastfeeding may be associated with a reduced risk for ADHD in children.
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 11 studies identified through a literature search on the PubMed, Embase, ClinicalKey, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases.
Non-breastfeeding was strongly associated with ADHD in children (aOR, 3.71; P<.001). Children with ADHD were found to have substantially shorter breastfeeding duration vs control group (mean difference, −2.44 months; P<.001). Non-exclusive breastfeeding rates in children with ADHD were significantly higher in 'under 3 months' (OR, 1.90; P<.001) but lower in '6 to 12 months' (OR, 0.69, P=.039) and 'over 12 months' (OR, 0.58, P=.038) vs controls. Exclusive breastfeeding duration rate in children with ADHD was significantly higher in 'under 3 months' (OR, 1.51; P<.001) but lower in 'over 3 months' (OR, 0.52; P=.033).
"Our findings indicate that shorter duration of breastfeeding may up the risk for ADHD in children and that the outcomes are comparable for exclusive and non-exclusive breastfeeding with supplements," the authors concluded. They call for further studies of longitudinal nature to establish or refute these findings and determine probable mechanisms underlying the association.