Article review - Book Report/Review Example

Breast-Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes in the Youth of Three Ethnic Groups: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Case-Control Study Type II Diabetes Mellitus is a potentially serious, chronic metabolic condition which has been becoming increasingly common worldwide during the last several decades and is associated with not only significant morbidity and mortality but also poses an economic burden since it incurs significant health-care related costs (Lipsky & Sharp, 2004). This paper critically appraises the article “Breast-Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes in the Youth of Three Ethnic Groups: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Case-Control Study” by Mayer-Davis et al. (2008) which discusses the findings of a case control study conducted in order to elucidate the impact of breastfeeding in infancy on the development of type II Diabetes Mellitus later in life, using the CASP critique guidelines (CASP,2011) and discusses the results of this study in light of the current guidelines and literature (Davis, et al., 2008). The authors carried out a case control study to ascertain whether the relationship between the breastfeeding status and the occurrence of type II diabetes amongst youth belonging to three different ethnic groups (Mayer-Davis et al., 2008). The study objective and hypothesis is clearly outlined in the introduction, which also provides the rationale for conducting this study.

The study design is appropriately chosen as a case control design would enable the comparison of the impact of breastfeeding status on the outcome variable, i.e. the occurrence of type II Diabetes. The authors have clearly defined the inclusion and exclusion criteria for both cases and controls and in order to overcome selection bias, controls were recruited from the same setting as cases were, i.e. from primary care providers. The breastfeeding status and details about duration, etc were assessed using a questionnaire filled by the mothers which gives rise to a possibility of recall bias.

From an ethical perspective, the study was conducted after obtaining approval from the local institutional review boards and written informed consent was obtained from study participants. The authors took appropriate steps during data analysis using different logistic regression models to overcome confounding due to any potential confounding factors such as age, gender, ethnicity or BMI. However, there is a possibility of there being residual confounding due to different factors such as lifestyle and current health habits which might have contributed towards the development of Diabetes.

The results revealed that breastfeeding was protective for type II Diabetes in a dose-response fashion amongst all three ethnic groups under consideration, viz. African-American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white youth, and thus, this study recommends breastfeeding during infancy for all ethnic groups. The results of this study are validated by several other studies. A recent systemic review undertaken by Owen et al. (2006) reported that breastfeeding in infancy lowers the risk of developing Type II diabetes in adulthood (Owen et al., 2006). Moreover, in light of current literature and recommended practice guidelines, breastfeeding is a highly recommended practice since it has been found to be beneficial for both the mother and the infant, having both short term and long term advantages.

WHO and the updated guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics both thus recommend exclusive breastfeeding for a period of 6 months followed by supportive complementary feeding along with breastfeeding for upto a period of two years (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005; World Health Organisation, 2011). Thus, in conclusion, the findings of this study are very important and clinically relevant as the burden of chronic disease such as Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome has been increasing and breastfeeding is a convenient and affordable measure which would help in lowering the risk of Diabetes later in life.

References American Academy of Pediatrics. (2005). Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Pediatrics , 496-506. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). (2011). 11 questions to help you make sense of a case control study. Retrieved May 20, 2011, from Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP): making sense of evidence: http://www.sph.nhs.uk/sph-files/casp-appraisal-tools/Case%20Control%2011%20Questions.pdf Davis, E. J., Debelea, D., Lamichhane, A. P., DAgostino, R. B., Liese, A. D., Thomas, J., et al. (2008).

Breast-Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes in the Youth of Three Ethnic Groups: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Case-Control Study. Diabetes Care , 470–475. Lipsky, M. S., & Sharp, L. K. (2004). Preventive Therapy for Diabetes: Lifestyle Changes and the Primary Care Physician. American Family Physician . Owen, Christopher G., Martin, Richard M., Whincup, Peter H., Smith, George D. & Cook, Derek G. (2006) Does breastfeeding influence risk of type 2 diabetes in later life? A quantitative analysis of published evidence.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1043–1054. World Health Organisation. (2011). Breastfeeding. Retrieved May 20, 2011, from WHO Child and adolescent health and development: http://www.who.int/child_adolescent_health/topics/prevention_care/child/nutrition/breastfeeding/en/index.html