Associação entre o aleitamento materno exclusivo e sobrepeso e obesidade na adolescência: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

Obesity in childhood and adolescence has genetic and environmental factors as determinants, and the early introduction of complementary feeding instead of exclusive breastfeeding has been identified as one of these factors that trigger overweight and childhood obesity. The literature shows that the type of infant feeding can define his body composition over the years and the different outcomes in the anthropometric nutritional status. However, there are few studies that associate exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months with the anthropometric status of the adolescent population, in addition, no reviews of the literature in Portuguese on the subject were found. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify, through a systematic review, the association between exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and the development of overweight and obesity in adolescence. The LILACS, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched. Of the 1,150 records identified, 7 match the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The studies showed results related to 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and its respective relationship with the development of obesity in adolescence. Exclusive breastfeeding was inversely associated with the risk of overweight / obesity in adolescence in five articles, and two did not find a statistically significant relationship. The results of this review show that EBF can contribute to reducing the risk of overweight and obesity in adolescence. The importance of promoting EBF is emphasized, considering its beneficial effects over time, not only in relation to anthropometric nutritional status, but also its impact on adequate growth and development and in reducing the risk of diseases.