The impact of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and of complementary breastfeeding after 6 months on bone mineral density and bone remodeling.

Authors

Larissa Brazolotto Ferreira, Keny Gonçalves Tirapeli, Carla Cristiane Silva, José Eduardo Corrente, Tamara Beres Lederer Goldberg

Published in

PloS one. Volume 20. Issue 8. Pages e0328254. Epub Aug 04, 2025.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the evolution of bone mass in exclusive breastfeeding mothers (EBF) for 6 months, and another cohort, who had also exclusively breastfed their children while concomitantly donating breast milk for 6 months (EBF+), with evaluation of their bone mass during the subsequent 6-month period of complementary breastfeeding.
A group of exclusive breastfeeding mothers (n = 38) were evaluated at 15 days and six months postpartum, and a second group of EBF-donors (EBF+) (n = 39) were evaluated at six months and one year postpartum. Bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) were evaluated by bone densitometry (DXA) and bone turnover markers were determined: osteocalcin (OC), bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), and carboxy-terminal telopeptide (S-CTX).
There was a significant decrease in BMD in the lumbar spine (1.107 ± 0.109 and 1.075 ± 0.112 g/cm2; p < 0.001), total body (1.135 ± 0.086 and 1.119 ± 0.085 g/cm2; p < 0.001), and total proximal femur over the six months of EBF compared to the values obtained from the same EBF group at 15 days postpartum (mean percentage decreases in BMD of -3.4 ± 3.7% (p < 0.001) in lumbar spine, -2.5 ± 3.4% (p < 0.001) in total proximal femur, and -1.7 ± 1.9% (p = 0.001) in total body). For the group of EBF + who practiced complementary breastfeeding after 6 months, densitometric results indicated a tendency to incorporation of bone mass, with a mean percentage increase in BMD of 5.0 ± 3.9% for lumbar spine, and 1.6 ± 3.4% for total proximal femur.
There was a significant physiological mobilization of bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, total body, and total proximal femur after six months of EBF. In the EBF+ group, even with continued complementary breastfeeding, densitometric results were higher than those observed at 6 months, indicating a continuous increase over time.

PMID:
40758743
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 05 Aug 2025.

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