Duration of breastfeeding is associated with emotional eating through its effect on alexithymia in boys, but not girls

Tatjana van Strien*, Roseriet Beijers, Sanny Smeekens, Laura H.H. Winkens

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Emotional eating (EE), or eating in response to negative emotions, was earlier shown to be associated with difficulty in identifying emotions (alexithymia). To improve our understanding of possible causes of alexithymia and EE, we assessed possible associations with duration of breastfeeding in infancy. The aim of the present study was to examine in a prospective, longitudinal study whether duration of breastfeeding is associated with EE in adolescence, through its effect on alexithymia difficulty identifying emotions, and whether this mediation effect is contingent on gender. Our hypothesis was that longer duration of breastfeeding would be associated with lower EE in adolescence through its effect on lower alexithymia difficulty identifying feelings in boys but not in girls (Moderated mediation). The sample included 129 children and their families (67 boys and 62 girls). Duration of breastfeeding was reported by the mother when the infant was 15 months old. Alexithymia difficulty identifying feelings (Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and EE (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire) were reported by the child at 12 years of age. EE was also reported by the child at 16 years of age. Moderated mediation was significant for EE at 12 years, and borderline significant for EE at 16 years. As hypothesized, for boys but not for girls, longer duration of breastfeeding was related to less difficulties in identifying feelings, resulting in lower degrees of EE in adolescence. It is concluded that breastfeeding in infancy may protect boys against EE through its positive association with better ability to identify feelings.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)97-105
Number of pages9
JournalAppetite
Volume132
Early online date10 Oct 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2019

Funding

This research was supported by a Sara van Dam Project Grant of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences to Roseriet Beijers . Funding for Tatjana van Strien and Laura Winkens was provided by the European Union FP7 MooDFOOD Project ‘Multi-country cOllaborative project on the rOle of Diet, FOod-related behavior, and Obesity in the prevention of Depression’ (grant agreement no. 613598 ).

FundersFunder number
European Union FP7613598
Sara van Dam Project
Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen

    Keywords

    • Alexithymia
    • Breastfeeding
    • Emotional eating
    • Longitudinal
    • Sex-differences

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