Breastfeeding is associated with reduced risk of multiple sclerosis in males, predominantly among HLA-DRB1*15:01 carriers

Background: Breastfeeding as an infant appears protective against later development of some autoimmune diseases, but research into its influence on multiple sclerosis (MS) risk has yielded inconclusive results.

Objective: We investigated the possible impact of breastfeeding on MS risk.

Methods: We used two population-based case-control studies comprising 3670 cases and 6737 matched controls. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for association between MS and exposure to prolonged breastfeeding (4 months or longer) versus reduced breastfeeding (less than 4 months). A meta-analysis of case-control studies that assessed the impact of breastfeeding on MS risk among women and men was conducted.

Results: Prolonged breastfeeding was associated with reduced MS risk among men (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-0.9) but not among women (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.8-1.1). Among men, a synergistic effect was observed between HLA-DRB1*15:01 carrier status and reduced breastfeeding.

Conclusions: Findings from the current study add to accumulating evidence that breastfeeding may be a modifiable protective factor for reducing the risk of MS in offspring. When possible, mothers should be supported to breastfeed their infants; however, the mechanism of a sex-specific biologic effect of breastfeeding on MS risk is unclear.