Breastfeeding and reported morbidity during infancy: findings from the Southampton Women's Survey

Abstract

A number of studies in developed countries suggest that breastfeeding protects against infections in infancy. However, the choice to breastfeed is often related to maternal characteristics, and many of these studies are limited in the extent to which they can take account of confounding influences. In a prospective birth cohort study, we assessed the relationship between the duration of breastfeeding and the prevalence of lower respiratory tract infections, ear infections and gastrointestinal morbidity during the first year of life in 1764 infants. We considered the duration of all breastfeeding, including mixed feeding. Eighty-one per cent of the infants were breastfed initially, and 25% were breastfed up to 6 months. There were graded decreases in the prevalence of respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms between birth and 6 months as breastfeeding duration increased; these were robust to adjustment for a number of confounding factors. The adjusted relative risks (95% confidence interval) for infants breastfed for six or more months compared with infants who were never breastfed were 0.72 (0.58-0.89), 0.43 (0.30-0.61) and 0.60 (0.39-0.92) for general respiratory morbidity, diarrhoea and vomiting, respectively. Duration of breastfeeding in the second half of infancy was less strongly related to diagnosed respiratory tract infections and gastrointestinal morbidity, although important benefits of breastfeeding were still seen. Our data provide strong support for a protective role of breastfeeding against respiratory and gastrointestinal infections in infancy. The graded inverse associations with breastfeeding duration suggest that current efforts to promote breastfeeding and increase duration will have important effects in reducing morbidity in infancy.

Efeito independente do tipo de aleitamento no risco de excesso de peso e obesidade em crianças entre 12-24 meses de idade

“…Recommended for the first 6 months of an infant's life 1 , exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) protects children against infectious diseases such as diarrhea, lower respiratory tract infections and acute otitis media 2 , reduces neonatal morbidity and mortality in low-and middle-income countries 3 , and improves cognitive development 4 . Some studies have also demonstrated a protective effect of EBF on the risk of overweight and obesity in childhood and adulthood 5,6,7,8 .…”

Looking for cues – infant communication of hunger and satiation during milk feeding

“…2006). Breastfeeding confers many benefits to mother and baby, from improved gut microbiota and immune function in infants (Fisk et al, 2011;Chong. 2015) to protection from development of overweight and obesity in baby and mothers (Weng et al, 2012;Grube et al, 2015).…”

Pola Pemberian ASI dan Diare pada Anak Usia 6–24 Bulan

“…10 Pada penelitian ini prevalensi diare lebih rendah pada anak berusia 6-12 bulan dibanding dengan yang berusia di atas 1 tahun yang menunjukkan walaupun efek perlindungan ASI terhadap diare mulai berkurang setelah usia 6 bulan, namun masih memiliki manfaat sampai bayi berusia 12 bulan. 20 Prevalensi diare pada anak yang diberi ASI pada hari 1-3 setelah lahir ditemukan lebih rendah pada penelitian ini. Hal serupa juga ditemukan pada penelitian Clemens dkk., 13 Stanley dan Kitaw, 14 serta Mullany dkk.…”

“…19 Lama pemberian ASI tanpa melihat eksklusivitas pemberiannya, berbanding terbalik dengan diare pada bayi. 20 Penelitian ini mendukung pernyataan di atas dengan ditemukan hubungan yang bermakna pemberian ASI eksklusif dan lama pemberian ASI dengan prevalensi diare.…”