Dazed and confused by conflicting reports? Is breast best? What are the facts?

Raisingkids has brought together findings from scientific surveys and research projects from around the world to give you the facts and to let you make your own mind up.

Allergies
Breastfeeding your child at the same time you first introduce your child to foods containing gluten can reduce your baby's chance of developing coeliac disease by 52%.
[Central Manchester Children's University Hospital November 2005]

Some scientists believe that breastfeeding may increase the likelihood of children developing peanut allergies with the risk of fatal anaphylactic shock. There is no supporting evidence and many other studies suggest that maternal diet has no such effect.
[St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario 2001 with 23 women]

Asthma
Breastfeeding your baby exclusively to four months and beyond reduced the risk of a child developing asthma by 28%.
[Researcher Dr Wendy Oddy, of the University of Western Australia, in Perth. August 2002]

Breastfed babies of asthmatic mothers are more likely to develop the condition than babies who are bottle fed.
[Source: Thorax Journal/Daily Telegraph 22 Feb 2001/Independent 15 Feb 2001]

Blood Pressure
Babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months have a systolic blood pressure reading 1.7mm Hg lower than those who have not.
[University of Bristol May 2005]

Cancer
Children who are breastfed have a lower risk of developing childhood leukemia.
[Univ of California, Berkeley November 2004]

Women who were breastfed as children have a 25% lower risk of developing breast cancer in later life.
[Freudenheim, J. et al. 1994 Exposure to breast milk in infancy and the risk of breast cancer. Epidemiology 5:324-331]

Dental health
Breastfeeding is good for tooth and jaw development, and breastfed babies get fewer cavities.
[The Complete Book Of Breastfeeding M.S. Eiger. MD, S. Wendkos Olds Copyright 1972, 1987 Comstock, Inc., Workman Publishing Co., Labbok, M.H. Does Breastfeeding Protect against Malocclusion? An Analysis of the 1981 Child Health Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 1987 Loesche WJ/ Nutrition and dental decay in infants Am J Clin Nutr 41; 423-435, 1985]

Diabetes
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of baby developing type I (juvenile, insulin-dependent) diabetes.
[Virtanen et al Diet, Cow's milk protein antibodies and the risk of IDDM in Finnish children Childhood Diabetes in Finland Study Group. Diabetologia, Apr 1994, 37(4):381-7 Mayer, EJ, Hamman RF, Gay EC, et al. Reduced risk of IDDM among breast-fed children Diabetes, 1988;37:1625-1632]

One year of breastfeeding also reduces the mother's chance of developing type 2 diabetes by 15% - a protective effect that lasts for up to 15 years.
[Harvard Medical School, November 2005]

Financial benefits
People who are breastfed are 41% more likely to climb up a social class than those who are bottle fed.
[Breastfeeding in infancy and social mobility: 60 year follow-up of the Boyd Orr cohort. Richard Michael Martin, Sarah Goodhall, David J Gunnell and George Davey Smith. University of Bristol, United Kingdom December 2006]

Heart disease
Breastfeeding your baby for the first two years or more makes you 19% less likely to have a heart attack.
[Research: Harvard Medical School 2007]]

HIV infection
Breastfeeding may guard against HIV.
[Research: Jerry Coovadia & Anna Coutsoudis, South Africa. Pub. Lancet 1999/Guardian 1 Dec 2000]

Immune system
Breast milk helps the development of baby's immune system.
[Koutras, A.K. Fecal Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Breast Milk vs. Formula Feeding in Early Infancy J. Ped Gastro Nutr 1989]

IQ
Breast-feeding babies has no discernible effect on a child's IQ.
[Research: British Medical Journal October 2006]

Multiple sclerosis
Breastfeeding appears to be associated with a decreased likelihood of multiple sclerosis.
[Dick, G. "The Etiology of Multiple Sclerosis." Proc Roy Soc Med 1989;69;611-5]

Respiratory infections
Breastfeeding protects against respiratory infections.
[Frank Al, Taber LH, Glezen WP, et al. Breast-feeding and respiratory virus infection Pediatrics 1982;70:239-245 Wright AI, Holberg DJ, Martinez FD, et al. Breast feeding and lower respiratory tract illness in the first year of life Br Med J. 1989;299:935-949 Chen Y. Synergistic effect of passive smoking and artificial feeding on hospitalization for respiratory illness in early childhood Chest. 1989;95:1004-1007 Wright AL, Holberg CH, Taussig LM, et al. Relationship of infant feeding to recurrent wheezing at age 6 yrs Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1995;149:758-763]

But remember....
Breastfeeding doesn't always go as planned. For some mothers, the experience is fraught and sometimes painful. Nor do all babies take to the breast and where a baby is failing to gain weight, a rethink may be required. At this point mothers may feel they have failed their baby and feel guilty and inadequate. The most important thing is to do what works best for mothers and babies.
There are many advantages to breast-feeding, but if it becomes a struggle where mother is tense and unable to enjoy the experience, then she should consider switching to bottle feeding. For baby the most important thing is being held by a relaxed, confident and loving mother while being fed.
[Dr Pat Spungin - Raisingkids.co.uk, March 2007]

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