Is Breastfeeding Duration Associated with Risk of Developing ASD?

Background: There are few studies in the world on the duration of breastfeeding and the risk of autism. To our knowledge, no study has yet explained the association between breastfeeding duration and ASD in Iran. Aims: The present study evaluated the association between breastfeeding and the risk of ASD in offspring in the west of Iran. Methods: This case-control study was performed on 100 children aged 3-14 years who had a medical record in the Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Center and the Autism Association of Hamadan and were diagnosed with autism according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) criteria. The control group included healthy children who had active family record in comprehensive health service centers. All the analyses were performed using Stata software version 14. The significance level was considered less than 0.05. Results: After adjusting for other variables, each increase in the month of breastfeeding was associated with a 5% decrease in odds of ASD (OR=0.95 (95% CI: 0.91, 0.99), p=0.03). The odds of ASD in boys were significantly higher (OR=3.85 (95% CI: 1.91, 7.76), p<0.001). Moreover, drug use (OR=0.01), history of autism (OR=6.62), and history of psychiatry disorder (OR=7.2) were significantly associated with increased odds of ASD (p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings showed that breastfeeding duration can be a protective factor for ASD. Therefore, policymakers and health staff can reduce the risk of autism by promoting increased breastfeeding duration, especially for children with a high risk for autism.