Breastfeeding doesn't protect babies from Asthma

According to a new study, breastfeeding does not protect children from developing Asthma, or any other allergies.

The trial involved more than 13,000 women and children and found no evidence that it decreases the risk of children suffering from these diseases. This will come as a blow to many pro-breastfeeding campaigners and past research which suggested that breastfeeding helps to boost a baby's immune system by providing important antibodies from the mother's body therefore helping to protect the baby against certain diseases.

The survey, published in the Lancet, also came up with interesting developments into breastfeeding support: the study involved babies born in 1996-97 that were split into two groups. The first group contained mothers and babies who were supported in their breastfeeding by hospitals or polyclinics that they attended, and in the control group, the hospitals and clinics carried on with their normal practise. In the first group it was shown that there was a big increase in women exclusively breastfeeding for longer than three months. All babies were then tested for Asthma and allergies when they reached six years old. The researchers, led by Michael Kramer, of Montreal Children's Hospital, concluded: "Intervention to promote breastfeeding did not reduce the risk of Asthma, Hayfever or Eczema at age 6.5 years despite large increases in the duration and exclusivity of breast-feeding."

A study by The Infant Feeding Survey revealed that 76 per cent of women in 2005 started out breastfeeding, up 7 per cent than 2000. Most had resorted to formula milk within weeks and and fewer than half were still breastfeeding by the time their baby was six-weeks old. only one in four women was still breastfeeding at six months.

Thanks to The Times, 12/09/07

Breastfeeding is still proven to have huge benefits for babies despite this research. Some of the benefits include;

Breastfeeding:
Protects your baby's gut from harmful bacteria
Aids digestion of fats and helps growth and development
The composition of breastmilk changes to meet your baby's growing needs
Breastmilk serves as a nutritional model for formula, and formula can never replace the real thing
Provides your baby with antibodies to protect his immune system
Lowers the risk of obesity in adulthood
Breastfeeding leads to optimal brain development and a higher IQ
Aids the growth and development of premature infants leaving the SCBU sooner
skin-to-skin contact provides valuble bonding time for mother and baby
It also helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer and cancer of the ovaries for the mother and helps to get your figure back quickly.