Association of breastfeeding duration with dyslipidemia in women aged over 20 years: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2014

Background: The prevalence of dyslipidemia, particularly hypercholesterolemia, has been reported to increase after pregnancy and menopause in Korea. This suggests the importance of the management of dyslipidemia in women for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Objective: This study aimed to examine the association of breastfeeding with 5 subtypes of dyslipidemia in Korean women aged over 20 years, by using the nationally representative Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2014. Methods: Ordinary least square regression and ordered logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between breastfeeding duration and dyslipidemia. Results: The likelihood of having low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) disorder decreased by 16% in the group that breastfed for more than 24 months (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.75–0.95) compared with the group that did not breastfeed. The likelihood of having non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) disorder was significantly reduced by 25% when the breastfeeding duration was more than 24 months (odds ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.64–0.87). The tendency toward developing disorders of total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, and non-HDL-C decreased as the duration of breastfeeding increased, particularly among women aged 30–39 years. Conclusion: Breastfeeding duration was negatively correlated with dyslipidemia in terms of TC, LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and triglycerides. Long-term breastfeeding was associated with the prevalence of dyslipidemia-TC, LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and TG disorders, in particular.