Can breast-feeding protect against schizophrenia? Case-control study

Background: Human milk, unlike formula feeds, contains long-chain polyunsatured fatty acids, such as docosa-hexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid which are essential in the development of the central nervous system. If human milk is the optimal food for brain development, and if schizophrenia is a neurodevelopment disorder, might people who become schizophrenic in adult life be less likely to have been breast-fed? Aims: To compare the incidence and length of breast-feeding in patients, siblings and normal controls and to examine the relationship between the duration of breast-feeding and age at onset of schizophrenia. Method: 113 schizophrenic patients were recruited, as were 140 siblings of the patients and 113 nonschizophrenic controls. The breast-feeding history of the patients, their siblings and controls was obtained through interviews with the mothers of the patients and controls. Results: There were no significant differences between groups in the incidence of breast-feeding. The duration of breast-feeding was positively correlated with the age at onset of illness (r = +0.25, p < 0.02). Conclusion: Breast-feeding is no less common in those who develop schizophrenia in later life. However, breast milk might postpone the onset of the illness in schizophrenic patients. Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel.