Background and aims. The health benefits of breastfeeding are well-known, but the complex impacts with maternal chronic diseases on children weight have not been well studied. We examined the relationship between maternal chronic diseases and childhood overweight and evaluated breastfeeding impact on these associations.
Methods. This follow-up study comprised 621 mother-child pairs who were residents of the city of Kaunas, Lithuania. Mothers responded to the standardized questionnaires with information about the chronic diseases, behavioural characteristics, and child health data. We used Lithuanian percentile method for the estimation of children’s overweight/obesity. The impact of duration of breastfeeding and mother's chronic diseases on children's weight were examined by using logistic regression analyses. 
Results. Some 10.3 % of the children were overweight and obese. 59.1 % of infants were breastfed longer than 6 months. The results indicated an inverse association between duration of breastfeeding and risk of overweight. Children who were breastfed for ≥6 months were 29 % less likely to be overweight than those who were breastfed for <6 months independently on maternal chronic diseases. The multivariate model showed that maternal chronic diseases were found to be the risk factors for overweight in 4–6 years children breastfed less than 6 months (aOR 2.11); however, for children breastfed more than 6 months aOR were 1.54.
Conclusions. Longer duration of breastfeeding was associated with the lower risk for overweight in children aged 4–6 years. Health care professionals should encourage mothers promoting breastfeeding targeted to prevent obesity through childhood.

IMPACT OF BREASTFEEDING DURATION AND MATERNAL CHRONIC DISEASES ON WEIGHT IN PRESCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN