In utero preeclampsia exposure, milk intake and pubertal development

•Frequent dairy consumption was associated with lower rates of thelarche at 11yrs.•For exclusively breastfed girls, PE was associated with lower odds of thelarche.•Infant and childhood diet were not related to serum IGF-1 levels.•Child and maternal anthropometry were associated with IGF-1 and breast development. Cord blood insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations are lower in preeclamptic (PE) than normotensive (NT) pregnancies. PE offspring have increased risk of cardiovascular disease and decreased risk of some cancers including breast. We examined the effects of PE exposure in utero, infant feeding and childhood diet at 3–5 years on IGF-1 and breast development in 194 female offspring who were followed from birth until follow-ups at 10.8 and 12.9 years. Diet was not associated with serum IGF-1 levels at 10.8 years. PE exposure was associated with reduced odds of thelarche at 10.8 years only among exclusively breastfed girls. Milk, butter and ice cream consumption at 3–5 years was inversely related to the OR of breast development at 10.8 years. Child's weight and maternal overweight were positively associated with breast development at 10.8 years; child's height and weight were positively associated with breast development at 12.9 years.