3. LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF BREASTFEEDING ON T2DM
DEVELOPMENT AND GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN WOMEN WITH
A HISTORY OF GDM
Very few studies have examined the relationship between breastfeeding
duration and the incidence of T2DM in women with GDM. To our
knowledge, only four studies have investigated whether the favorable
effects of breastfeeding persist after weaning and protect women with
GDM against T2DM in later life [18–21] (Table 1). Only one study
assessed the development of T2DM in women with GDM for up to
20 years after delivery [21]. Limitations of the studies include a lack of
standardized oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) at specific times after
pregnancy, lack of detailed measures on breastfeeding (i.e. duration and
intensity), self-report of GDM or T2DM diagnosis, recall bias regarding
lactation duration, lack of control for confounders (e.g. physical activity
and diet, differences in postpartum BMI, medication), retrospective study
design, and insufficient duration of follow-up.
In a retrospective study, Kjos et al. reported that breastfeeding at 4–16
weeks postpartum (recorded as yes/no) was not associated with the
progression to T2DM within a follow-up of 7.5 years after delivery in 671
Latino women with a history of GDM and variable postpartum screening
by 2-h plasma glucose levels in an OGTT [18]. In a longitudinal analysis
of 91 women included in that study, Buchanan et al., found no
difference in the prevalence of diabetes, which was diagnosed based on