Abstract
Breastfeeding may interact with other risk factors and have a combined influence on child growth. This systematic review aimed to examine the interaction between genetic factors and breastfeeding and how their combination is associated with children weight status. Four databases were searched until August 2024, and 8 eligible studies were identified. The fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2 (PPARG2) genes were the most examined genes. Although the results of interactions between breastfeeding and genetics factors on children's weight status were inconsistent, some of studies reported that breastfeeding or exclusive breastfeeding attenuated the disadvantageous association between the risk alleles of the genes (higher obesity-specific genetic risk score for a multiple-gene study) and overdevelopment of children's body weight. These findings support the WHO recommendations for prolonged breastfeeding and further suggest breastfeeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity may be more effective in populations with a disadvantageous genetic predisposition. This review was registered in PROSPERO as CRD42023448365.