Adequate breastfeeding (BF) and avoidance of sugary beverages in early life may reduce the risk for preadolescent obesity in infants exposed to gestational diabetes (GDM), according to a study published online March 12 in Obesity.

Baiyang Sun, Ph.D., from Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Pleasanton, and colleagues evaluated the impact of fetal exposure to GDM severity, infant BF, and sugary beverage intake on preadolescent overweight and obesity. The analysis included 850 mother-infant dyads exposed to GDM.

The researchers found that among preadolescents (aged 6 to 11 years), 17.6% had overweight, 18.2% had moderate obesity, and 7.6% had severe obesity. Compared with adequate BF and no sugar-sweetened beverages [SSB] and 100% fruit juice [FJ], the risk for obesity was higher for both inadequate BF with SSB/FJ intake (adjusted relative risk [aRR], 1.55) and for adequate BF with SSB/FJ intake (aRR, 1.50), independent of GDM severity and covariates. The risk for severe obesity was more than tripled with inadequate BF with SSB/FJ intake versus adequate BF without SSB/FJ intake (aRR, 3.80).

“BF adequacy and avoidance of sugary beverages in early life are modifiable lifestyle behaviors that may combat preadolescent obesity in infants exposed to GDM, suggesting potential longer-term benefits on child cardiometabolic health,” the authors write.

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