Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23892523›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of obesity (2005)2014

The relationship between breastfeeding and postpartum weight change--a systematic review and critical evaluation.

C E Neville, M C McKinley, V A Holmes, D Spence, J V Woodside

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of obesity (2005), 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 73 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
73citing papers in PubMed, 5 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

73 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
  8. A Postpartum Weight Loss-focused Stepped-care Intervention in a Military Population: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2023
    Trial
  9. Trial
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  11. Trial
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  13. Beyond Deterministic Fetal Programming: Intrauterine Exposures and the Multifactorial Origins of Adiposity.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
    Review
  14. Article
  15. Weight management in women of reproductive age.Obesity and endocrinology · 2026
    Review
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Lactation and cardiovascular health: A comprehensive review.American heart journal plus : cardiology research and practice · 2025
    Review
  20. Article

13 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

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

5 authors.

C E NevilleNutrition and Metabolism Group, Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Science B, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
M C McKinleyNutrition and Metabolism Group, Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Science B, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
V A HolmesNutrition and Metabolism Group, Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Science B, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
D SpenceSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
J V WoodsideNutrition and Metabolism Group, Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Science B, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/K023241/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pregnancy and the postpartum period is a time of increased vulnerability for retention of excess body fat in women. Breastfeeding (BF) has been shown to have many health benefits for both mother and baby; however, its role in postpartum weight management is unclear. Our aim was to systematically review and critically appraise the literature published to date in relation to the impact of BF on postpartum weight change, weight retention and maternal body composition. Electronic literature searches were carried out using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, BIOSIS, CINAHL and British Nursing Index. The search covered publications up to 12 June 2012 and included observational studies (prospective and retrospective) carried out in BF mothers (either exclusively or as a subgroup), who were ≤ 2 years postpartum and with a body mass index (BMI) >18.5 kg m(-2), with an outcome measure of change in weight (including weight retention) and/or body composition. Thirty-seven prospective studies and eight retrospective studies were identified that met the selection criteria; studies were stratified according to study design and outcome measure. Overall, studies were heterogeneous, particularly in relation to sample size, measurement time points and in the classification of BF and postpartum weight change. The majority of studies reported little or no association between BF and weight change (n=27, 63%) or change in body composition (n=16, 89%), although this seemed to depend on the measurement time points and BF intensity. However, of the five studies that were considered to be of high methodological quality, four studies demonstrated a positive association between BF and weight change. This systematic review highlights the difficulties of examining the association between BF and weight management in observational research. Although the available evidence challenges the widely held belief that BF promotes weight loss, more robust studies are needed to reliably assess the impact of BF on postpartum weight management.

Indexed as

Breast FeedingPostpartum PeriodWeight LossBody Mass IndexBody WeightFemaleHumansObesityPregnancyWomen's Health

Identifiers

PMID23892523

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.