Evidence map›Paper›PMID 14630752›Full record

SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2003

Effect of breast feeding in infancy on blood pressure in later life: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Christopher G Owen, Peter H Whincup, Julie A Gilg, Derek G Cook

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The impact of environmental pollution on the quality of mother's milk.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2019
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Christopher G OwenDepartment of Community Health Sciences, St George's Hospital Medical School, London SW17 ORE. c.owen@sghms.ac.uk
Peter H Whincup
Julie A Gilg
Derek G Cook

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine whether breast feeding in infancy compared with bottle feeding formula milk is associated with lower mean blood pressure at different ages.

designSystematic review. DATA SOURCES: Embase, Medline, and Web of Science databases. STUDY SELECTION: Studies showing the effects of feeding in infancy on blood pressure at different ages. DATA EXTRACTION: Pooled mean differences in blood pressure between breast fed infants and those bottle fed formula milk, based on random effects models. DATA SYNTHESIS: The pooled mean difference in systolic blood pressure was -1.10 mm Hg (95% confidence interval -1.79 to -0.42 mm Hg) but with significant heterogeneity between estimates (P < 0.001). The difference was largest in studies of < 300 participants (-2.05 mm Hg, -3.30 to -0.80 mm Hg), intermediate in studies of 300-1000 participants (1.13 mm Hg, -2.53 to 0.27 mm Hg), and smallest in studies of > 1000 participants (-0.16 mm Hg, -0.60 to 0.28 mm Hg). An Egger test but not Begg test was statistically significant for publication bias. The difference was unaltered by adjustment for current size and was independent of age at measurement of blood pressure and year of birth. Diastolic blood pressure was not significantly related to type of feeding in infancy.

conclusionsSelective publication of small studies with positive findings may have exaggerated claims that breast feeding in infancy reduces systolic blood pressure in later life. The results of larger studies suggest that feeding in infancy has at most a modest effect on blood pressure, which is of limited clinical or public health importance.

Indexed as

Breast FeedingAdolescentAdultAgedAgingBlood PressureChildChild, PreschoolHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID14630752
PMCPMC274051

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.