Table 3.
Prospective studies on breast-feeding and risk of type 2 diabetes
| Study | Study population | Study design; follow-up; incident cases | Case ascertainment | Exposure | Exposure categories | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuebe et al, 2005 [4] | Nurses’ Health Study I, 83,585 mothers | Prospective cohort; follow-up 16 years; 5,145 | Self-reported diagnosis | Self-reported total lifetime duration of breast-feeding for all pregnancies in months | No breast-feeding, <1, 1–3, 4–6, 7–11, 12–17, 18–23, 24–35, 36–47, ≥48 months, cannot remember | Age; number of births; nutrition; physical activity; family history of diabetes; smoking status; BMI at age 18 years; birthweight of participants; multivitamin use |
| Nurses’ Health Study II, 73,418 mothers | Prospective cohort; follow-up 12 years; 1,132 | Self-reported diagnosis | Self-reported total lifetime duration of breast-feeding for all pregnancies in months (1993), self-reported cessation of breast-feeding for each birth (1997 and 2003) |
1993: no breast-feeding, <1, 1–3, 4–6, 7–11, 12–17, 18–23, 24–35, 36–47, ≥48 months, cannot remember 1997/2003: 1–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–11, 12–18, ≥19 months |
Age; number of births; nutrition; physical activity; family history of diabetes; smoking status; BMI at age 18 years; birthweight of participants; multivitamin use | |
| Villegas et al, 2008 [5] | Shanghai Women’s Health Study, 62,095 mothers | Prospective cohort; follow-up 4,6 years; 1,561 | Self-reported diagnosis | Self-reported breast-feeding duration per child | Calculated categories: no breast-feeding, >0–6, >6–11, >11–35, >36 months | Age; energy intake/day; smoking status; alcohol intake; physical activity; occupation; income; education; hypertension at baseline |
| Present study, 2014 | EPIC-Potsdam Study, 1,262 mothers | Prospective cohort (nested case–cohort) follow-up 7 years; 226 | Self-reported diagnosis, confirmed by treating physicians | Self-reported breast-feeding duration per child in months | No breast-feeding, ≤1 week, 2–3 weeks, 4–5 weeks, 6–7 weeks, 2 months, 3 months, 4–5 months, 6–7 months, 8–9 months, 10–11 months, ≥12 months | Age; number of children; nutrition; coffee consumption; physical activity; smoking status; alcohol intake; occupation; education; marital status, oral contraceptive use, age at birth of last child |