LLLI Center for Breastfeeding Information

Journal Abstract and Review of the Month for March 2006

"Full Breastfeeding Duration and Associated Decrease in Respiratory Tract Infection in US Children"

Authors: Caroline J. Chantry, Cynthia R. Howard, and Peggy Auinger

Pediatrics 2006 Feb; 117(2):425-32

Abstract:

The effects of breastfeeding exclusively for six months, versus breastfeeding for more than four months but less than six months, has been studied with regard to the risk of respiratory tract infections. Data were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III study conducted from 1988-1994.

This re-analysis of the NHANES data clearly shows a protective effect on respiratory health for those infants fully breastfed for at least 6 months.The most prominent protection seems to be for the risk of recurrent otitis media (ROM). Infants breastfed 6 months or more have significantly fewer incidents of OM and are less likely to experience their first episode of OM prior to 12 months of age.Additionally, there seems to be a lesser protective effect on the risk of pneumonia; this may seem less dramatic because pneumonia occurs with less frequency in the general population of infants than does OM.These protective factors are clearly dose and duration related; the longer an infant is breastfed, the greater the protective effect.

The mechanism by which this protection occurs is still uncertain; however, there is a real possibility that the protection may occur at the cellular level, affect immune system maturation, and continue months or years beyond the duration of breastfeeding.This finding supports the current WHO and AAP recommendations that infants be exclusively breastfed for at least the first 6 months of life and demonstrates that breastfeeding for less than 6 months simply does not provide the same level of protection.

Note:Co-author of this article, Cynthia R. Howard, MD, is a Health Advisory Council member of La Leche League International.
http://lalecheleague.org/hac.html

This paper is categorized by the following keywords:

Duration
HM Immune Factors
HM Immune Properties
Long Term Benefits
Otitis Media
Respiratory
Respiratory Concerns
Respiratory Problems

The PubMed Abstract of this article is available at this link

The full text of this article is available (for a fee) at:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/loansomedoc/loansome_home.html

Additional information on the protective health benefits of breastfeeding can be found on the LLLI Web site at:
http://lalecheleague.org/FAQ/prevention.html