Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Goodwin, D. W. Articles by Schulsinger, F. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Goodwin, D. W. Articles by Schulsinger, F. Alcohol Neurodevelopment

Breast-Feeding and Alcoholism: The Trotter Hypothesis

OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to determine whether early termination of breast-feeding contributes to later alcohol dependence, as proposed more than 200 years ago by the British physician Thomas Trotter. METHOD: In 1959–1961, a multiple-specialty group of physicians studied 9,182 consecutive deliveries in a Danish hospital, obtaining data about prepartum and postpartum variables. The present study concentrates on perinatal variables obtained from 200 of the original babies who participated in a 30-year high-risk follow-up study of the antecedents of alcoholism. RESULTS: Of the 27 men who were diagnosed as alcohol dependent at age 30, 13 (48%) came from the group weaned from the breast before the age of 3 weeks; only 33 (19%) of the 173 non-alcohol-dependent subjects came from the early weaning group. When challenged by other perinatal variables in a multiple regression analysis, early weaning significantly contributed to the prediction of the severity of alcoholism at age 30. CONCLUSIONS: The data support the hypothesis that early weaning may be associated with a greater risk of alcohol dependence later in life.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. S. Kramer, E. Fombonne, S. Igumnov, I. Vanilovich, L. Matush, E. Mironova, N. Bogdanovich, R. E. Tremblay, B. Chalmers, X. Zhang, et al. Effects of Prolonged and Exclusive Breastfeeding on Child Behavior and Maternal Adjustment: Evidence From a Large, Randomized Trial Pediatrics, March 1, 2008; 121(3): e435 - e440. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. J. Sorensen, E. L. Mortensen, J. M. Reinisch, and S. A. Mednick Early Weaning and Hospitalization With Alcohol-Related Diagnoses in Adult Life Am J Psychiatry, April 1, 2006; 163(4): 704 - 709. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Does Early Weaning Really Increase the Risk for Alcoholism? Journal Watch Women's Health, May 1, 1999; 1999(501): 11 - 11. [Full Text]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 1999 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us