Breastfeeding duration and serum organochlorine pesticides concentrations in young residents from two central-southern states of Mexico.

Abstract

Impact of breastfeeding duration on the presence of organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in offspring remains poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to assess the association between breastfeeding duration and serum concentrations of 21 OCP in individuals between 2.5 and 19 years old from central-southern states of Mexico. We included 317 individuals that participated as controls in a population-based study in Puebla and Tlaxcala, Mexico (2021-2024). We directly interviewed parents/guardians to collect data on breastfeeding duration and sociodemographic characteristics. Serum OCP were measured using gas chromatography. We categorized breastfeeding duration in months: 0, 1-12, and > 12. We used adjusted linear regression models to assess the associations between serum OCP and breastfeeding duration, also stratifying by sex and participant's age. Compared with individuals who were never breastfed, those breastfed ≤12 months showed a positive but non-significant association with p,p'-DDE (β = 0.65; 95% CI: -0.08, 1.38), while those breastfed >12 months had a significant association (β = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.04, 1.49), that remained only among males and individuals ≤124 months of age. We did not observe significant associations for other OCP. Although breastfeeding offers well-known health benefits, in high-risk populations it may also contribute to exposure to persistent environmental contaminants such as p,p'-DDE.