The protective effect of breast milk against infections has been extensively analyzed by several scientific studies. But one we have met recently, published in the magazine Pediatrics, emphasizes the time this protection can be maintained.
Specifically, it ensures that At age six, children who received breast milk have a lower risk of ear, throat, and sinus infections.
A team led by Dr. Ruowei Li, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, wanted to confirm whether the health benefits of breastfeeding remained for a prolonged period after the introduction of solid foods.
To do this, they analyzed the visits to the doctor of 1,300 six-year-old children and found that children who had been breastfed for nine or more months were likely to have a 31 percent lower after getting an ear infection in the previous year, some odds 32 percent lower than a throat infection and some odds 53 percent lower than a sinus infection.
Not only did they observe that the risk of infections is lower in children who had received breast milk compared to children who did not, but that the risk decreased in relation to the time they had been breastfed.
Another study, conducted by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), looked at the rate of probable food allergies in children of the same age, six years.
They found that children who had received exclusive breastfeeding for four or more months had about half the chance of getting a food allergy, compared to children who had been breastfed for less time.
With these conclusions, in addition to reconfirm the protective effect of breast milk against infections and allergies in children, which is good for your health, also makes us reflect on the health savings which involves promoting exclusive breastfeeding up to six months and complementing it with solids until at least two years of age.
