Introduction:

exclusive breastfeeding (EB) is a protective factor against the development of insulin resistance (IR) as mainstay of the metabolic syndrome.

Objective:

the objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between EB during the first six months of life and the development of IR through the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-IR) and Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) indexes.

Material and methods:

a population-based cohort study included 494 adolescent participants, from whom socio-demographic, anthropometric, and cardiometabolic variables were assessed using the HOMA-IR and QUICKI indexes to determine the degree of association between EB and the development IR. The results were expressed in medians.

Results:

the prevalence of EB was 42%. The results suggest a protective effect of EB on IR, in such a way that for each extra month of EB, the HOMA-IR index decreases in 0.32 (p = 0.005) and the index QUICKI increases in 0.70 (p = 0.008). Regarding waist circumference, body mass index and waist size index, this relationship was not significant.

Conclusion:

the bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate an epidemiologically significant relationship that demonstrates a protective effect of EB on the HOMA-IR and QUICKI indexes.

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