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No association between breast-feeding and adult psychosis in two national birth cohorts

University of Nottingham Department of Psychiatry

D. J. DONE

Psychology Division, University of Hertfordshire

T. J. CROW

Oxford University Department of Psychiatry

M. RICHARDS

National Survey of Health & Development, University College, London

Correspondence: Dr Stuart J. Leask, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Duncan Macmillan House, Porchester Road, Nottingham NG3 6AA

Declaration of interest Funded by grants from the Stanley Foundation.

Background It has been proposed that breast-feeding might have a protective effect against the development of adult schizophrenia.

Aims To test this hypothesis.

Method Using prospective data from two UK national birth cohorts, the feeding histories of those who later developed schizophrenia were compared with the remaining population at risk. Analyses in each cohort were considered to be independent tests of the hypothesis.

Results There were no differences in feeding histories. In the 1946 birth cohort (n=4447) 30 cases of DSM-III-R schizophrenia arose by age 43; 24.1% of cases v. 23.6% of controls were entirely bottle-fed; 17.3% v. 12.3% were breast-fed for under 1 month; 58.6% v. 64.1% were breast-fed beyond 1 month. In the 1958 cohort (n=18 856), 40 cases of CATEGO nuclear schizophrenia arose by age 28; 24.1% of cases v. 31.7% of controls were entirely bottle-fed; 27.6% v. 24.9% were breast-fed for under 1 month; 48.3% v. 43.4% were breast-fed beyond 1 month.

Conclusions These findings provide no evidence of any effect of breast-feeding in protecting against the risk of later schizophrenia.

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