Same-sex twins are taller and heavier than opposite-sex twins (but only if breastfed): Possible evidence for sex bias in human breast milk

• Published in: Journal of experimental child psychology Vol. 156; pp. 186 - 191
• Main Authors: Kanazawa, Satoshi, Segal, Nancy L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-04-2017
• Subjects: Adult; Body Height - physiology; Body Weight - physiology; Female; Height; Human development; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Milk, Human; Qualitative Research; Sexism; Twins, Dizygotic; Twins, Monozygotic; Weight; Human development; Height; Weight
• ISSN: 0022-0965; 1096-0457
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2016.11.014

•Breastfed same-sex twins are taller and heavier than breastfed opposite-sex twins.•Same-sex twins are shorter and lighter than opposite-sex twins when not breastfed.•Mother’s breast milk may be specifically tailored for offspring of each sex.•Human mothers may produce slightly different breast milk for sons and daughters.
Recent studies show that human and other mammalian breast milk may be tailored for the sex of the offspring. Such sex bias suggests that opposite-sex twins, who receive breast milk that cannot simultaneously be tailored for both sexes, may be at a disadvantage for growth compared with same-sex twins. An analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) shows that, controlling for sex, age, birth weight, and zygosity, breastfed same-sex twins are, on average, about 1 inch taller and 12 pounds heavier than their opposite-sex counterparts through adolescence and early adulthood. In contrast, never-breastfed same-sex twins tend to be shorter and lighter than their opposite-sex counterparts. These results may be potential evidence for sex bias in human breast milk and its long-term effects.