Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41764488›Full record

SynthesisClinical epigenetics2026

Breastfeeding association with DNA methylation in the pregnancy and childhood epigenetics (PACE) consortium.

Doretta Caramaschi, Sílvia Fernández-Barrés, Emma Casey, Adrià Cruells, Darina Czamara, Mohammed El Sharkawy, Hannah R Elliott, Ruby Fore, Richa Gairola, Olena Gruzieva and 41 more

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Clinical epigenetics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

51 authors.

Doretta Caramaschi *Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. D.Caramaschi@exeter.ac.uk.
Sílvia Fernández-Barrés *Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Emma CaseyDepartment of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Adrià Cruells, ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain.
Darina CzamaraDepartment Genes and Environment, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
Mohammed El SharkawyDivision of Metabolism and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, LMU University Hospital, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Munich, Germany.
Hannah R ElliottPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Ruby ForeDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse (CoRAL), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Richa GairolaDepartment of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Olena GruzievaInstitute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Anke HuelsDepartment of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Jari LahtiDepartment of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Hami LeeDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
Roberta Magnano San LioDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Anni MalmbergDepartment of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Toby MansellMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
Simon K MeridDepartment of Clinical Science and Education Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Boris NovakovicMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
Raffael OttInstitute of Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich, Germany.
Dolors Pelegrí, ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain.
Faisal I RezwanDepartment of Computer Science, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK.
Sheryl L Rifas-ShimanDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse (CoRAL), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Andreas WeissInstitute of Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich, Germany.
Blandine de Lauzon-GuillainUniversité Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, INSERM, INRAE, Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Paris, France.
Liesbeth DuijtsThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Veit GroteDivision of Metabolism and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, LMU University Hospital, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Munich, Germany.
John W HollowayHuman Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Nastassja KoenSAMRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Caroline L ReltonPopulation Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Dan J SteinSAMRC Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Heather J ZarSAMRC Unit on Child & Adolescent Health, Department of Paediatrics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Joseph M BraunDepartment of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Kim M CecilDepartment of Pediatrics, Department of Radiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Marie-France HivertDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse (CoRAL), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Sandra HummelInstitute of Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Munich, Germany.
Vincent W V JaddoeThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Μarianna KarachaliouThe Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Wilfried KarmausDivision of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
Manolis Kogevinas, ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain.
Berthold KoletzkoDivision of Metabolism and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, LMU University Hospital, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Munich, Germany.
Inger KullDepartment of Clinical Science and Education Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Erik MelénDepartment of Clinical Science and Education Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Emily OkenDivision of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse (CoRAL), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Katri RäikkönenDepartment of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Richard SafferyMurdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
Martine Vrijheid, ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain.
John WrightBradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK.
Kimberly YoltonUniversity of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Barbara HeudeUniversité Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, INSERM, INRAE, Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Paris, France.
Janine F Felix *The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Mariona Bustamante *, ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain. mariona.bustamante@isglobal.org.

Funding

European Commission ATHLETE project [grant number 874583]European Commission LifeCycle project [grant number 733206]European Commission, European Union LongITools project [grant number 874739]European Joint Programming Initiative NutriPROGRAM projectNIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES027224
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBreastfeeding is associated with short- and long-term beneficial effects on child health, including greater cognitive development, and enhanced immune programming. However, the underlying biological mechanisms are only partially understood, with epigenetics emerging as a potential contributor. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether breastfeeding practices are associated with differential DNA methylation (DNAm) in childhood blood.

resultsWe conducted meta-analyses of epigenome-wide association studies (meta-EWASs) in 3421 children from eleven international population-based birth cohorts from the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) Consortium. Breastfeeding was assessed as "ever" being breastfed vs. "never", and duration of any and exclusive breastfeeding. DNAm was measured in childhood blood (ages 5-12 years) using the Illumina 450 K or EPIC arrays, with cord blood at birth used as negative outcome control. At False Discovery Rate (FDR) < 5%, positive associations at six cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites were identified in childhood blood: four with duration of exclusive breastfeeding, and three with duration of exclusive breastfeeding of more than three months compared to never. The annotated genes (ALAD, FNBP4, and CHFR) are related to developmental and immune processes. None of these CpG sites were FDR-significant in cord blood prior to breastfeeding.

conclusionsBreastfeeding was associated with differential DNAm in childhood blood at a limited number of CpG sites. Future studies in diverse populations are needed to examine the robustness of these associations, the sources of heterogeneity, and the generalizability of the findings.

Indexed as

Breast FeedingDNA MethylationBirth CohortChildChild, PreschoolCpG IslandsEpigenesis, GeneticEpigenomicsFemaleFetal BloodGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMalePregnancyBirth cohortBreastfeedingChildrenDNA methylationEpigeneticsEpigenome-wide association studyExclusive breastfeedingMeta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID41764488
PMCPMC13085660

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.