Jun 05, 2022 12:00:00

It turns out that the longer the baby is breastfed, the less likely it is to have childhood asthma.

Studies have shown that breast milk secreted by mothers

contains antibodies that reduce the risk of allergies and diarrhea, and that breast-fed babies have a lower risk of hospitalization and death and a higher IQ . Research teams such as the University of Tennessee in the United States have announced new research results that 'the longer the baby is breast-fed, the less likely it is to have childhood asthma.'

The association between duration of breastfeeding and childhood asthma outcomes --Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2022.04.034

New Study: Longer Duration of Exclusive Breastfeeding Has Protective Effect on Childhood Asthma --ACAAI Public Website
https://acaai.org/news/new-study-longer-duration-of-exclusive-breastfeeding-has-protective-effect-on-childhood-asthma/

The research team points out that many children who develop asthma develop symptoms by the age of six, suggesting that early childhood conditions are associated with the development of asthma. The relationship between breastfeeding and asthma has been pointed out for some time, but there were various contradictions and gaps in the research results.

Therefore, the research team collected data on 'how long did the mother breastfeed only' and 'whether the child developed asthma' from three studies that followed up a total of more than 2000 mothers and children. Collected and analyzed. Of the subjects surveyed this time, 38% were black and 6% were Hispanic.

The analysis found that only 64% of children who were breast-fed for less than two months developed asthma in those who were breast-fed for two to four months. In addition, 61% of children who were breastfed for less than 2 months and children who were breastfed for 6 months or more were asthmatic in children who were breastfed for 5 to 6 months. The result was only 52%.

Dr. Keadrea Wilson of the Center for Health Sciences, University of Tennessee, the lead author of the paper, said, 'The results of this study show that the longer a mother is breastfed, the more relative the child will have asthma or asthma-related symptoms. We have shown that the probability is low. '

In addition, Dr. Angela Hogan, vice chairman of the

American College of Allergy and Asthma Immunology (ACAAI) , who was not involved in the study, said, 'Additionally, if you mix powdered milk, juice, or other foods during breastfeeding. We also found that (that is, if we weren't breastfed alone) we wouldn't get the same level of protection. '

'This study reflects recent findings that the risk of asthma is lower when breastfeeding is more frequent, and strengthens recent breastfeeding recommendations,' said Dr. Wilson.