The Study of Relationship between Breastfeeding and Metabolic Syndrome and its Components in Premenopausal Parous Women: From the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2010-2016

Purpose: Here we aimed to examine the association of breastfeeding (BF) with the metabolic syndrome (Mets) and its components among premenopausal parous Korean women.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 7,116 Korean women by using nationally representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, between 2010 and 2016. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for examining the association of BF with Mets and its components.Results: A total 7,116 women were selected for this study. Mets was present in 12.9% of the study participants. The prevalence of Mets in the BF group (12.38%) was lower than that of the non-BF group (14.69 %) (p<0.05). The prevalence of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia was significantly higher in the non-BF group compared to that of the BF group. For each of Mets components, the total cholestrol level and systolic blood pressure were significantly higher in the non-BF group, compared to those of the BF group (p<0.05). The BF group was associated with a decreased risk of Mets (odds ratio [OR], 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68–0.99). and lower risks of hypo-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterolemia (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.62–0.68), compared to those of the non-BF group.Conclusion: BF is an important factor in reducing the risks of Mets. These results provide fundamental evidence for the establishment of policies for promoting BF.