Is breast milk really best, American study asks

Conclusion This study does not alter the current body of research, which has shown the beneficial effects of breastfeeding. There were statistically significant differences in health, behaviour and academic outcomes in the full cohort, although there was an association between breastfeeding and asthma. It is unclear why this reverse trend was found in this study, but it does not show that breastfeeding causes asthma or that bottle feeding prevents it. The study did not show a significant difference between siblings within a family who were breastfed. This may be because genetic and environmental factors have more influence on these outcomes than breastfeeding at an individual level. There are a number of confounding factors that were not adjusted for in this study, including the reasons for changing the feeding style within a family. There could have been maternal factors, such as breast disease, or an inability for the baby to breastfeed, such as a cleft palate. Another factor to consider is that women are only offered unpaid maternal leave in the US. This could mean that the majority of women who can afford to take time off to care and breastfeed their baby are on a high income. It could be the case that breastfeeding would still be of significant benefit for children born to women on a lower income in the UK. Other important childhood outcomes in which breastfeeding has previously been found to be beneficial were not measured, including allergies, immune status and diab...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news