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- Breastfeeding can protect your baby from developing allergies.
Several studies have found that breastfeeding for six months or more makes it less likely
that your baby will go on to develop food or respiratory allergies. At least one study has found that
this protection appears to last well into adolescence. Another study found that preterm infants from
families with a history of allergies had a lower risk of developing eczema than their formula-fed peers.
A third study found that exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first four months after birth reduced a
child's risk of developing asthma by age six.
Scientists think that the fatty acids and immune factors such as IgA in breast milk prevent allergic reactions
by stopping large foreign proteins from getting into a baby's system. (Proteins in cows' milk are one of the
most common allergens, which are one reason that babies who are fed cows' milk-based formulas tend to have more
allergic reactions than breastfed babies.)
- Breastfeeding may boost your child's intelligence
Several studies have found a possible connection between breastfeeding and higher IQs.
Babies’ breastfed for six months or more seem to have the most advantage; Experts say that the emotional
bonding that takes place during breastfeeding probably contributes to some of the increase, but that the
fatty acids in breast milk may play the biggest role in a baby's brain development.
- Breastfeeding may protect against obesity later in life
Whether or not breastfeeding has any effect on a child's weight later in life has been a
matter of debate for some time. In May 2005, after conducting a review of 61 studies related to infant
feeding and later obesity, researchers concluded that early breastfeeding is linked to a reduced risk of
obesity — but they note that more study is necessary to determine just how strong that link is.
Experts think that breastfeeding may affect later weight gain for several reasons: Breastfed babies are better
at regulating their feedings, leading to healthier eating patterns as they grow. Breast milk contains less
insulin than formula (insulin stimulates the creation of fat). And breastfed babies have more of the protein
hormone leptin in their system; a substance that researchers believe plays a role in regulating appetite and
fat. Also, compared with breastfed babies, formula-fed infants gain weight more rapidly in the first weeks of
life. This rapid weight gain is associated with later obesity.
- Breastfeeding may protect your baby from developing type 1
diabetes
Breastfeeding for more than six months appears to reduce a child's risk of developing
insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes. In one study, children who were breastfed for less than three months
and exposed to cows' milk before 4 months had about 1.5 times the risk of developing the disease. It's
not clear exactly how breast milk protects against this disease, although researchers theorize that
immune factors in breast milk play a role.
- Breastfeeding may protect preemies from infections and high blood pressure later in
life
Breast milk seems to offer special protection for premature babies. One study found that
very low-birth weight babies nourished by breast milk had fewer serious blood infections and meningitis
than those given formula. Another study found that preemies given breast milk were less likely to have
high blood pressure by the time they were teenagers.
- Breastfeeding may lower your baby's risk of SIDS
There's no conclusive evidence that breastfeeding reduces your baby's risk of SIDS (sudden
infant death syndrome) per se. Some studies have found a link between lowered rates of SIDS while others
have not. What's clear is that breastfeeding can help prevent respiratory and gastrointestinal infections
that may be related to SIDS.
- Breastfeeding helps you lose weight
Nursing your baby can help you shed pounds more quickly, especially during the first year.
This is because your body burns calories while it makes breast milk.
Breastfeeding can lower your stress levels and reduce postpartum
bleeding
Because nursing triggers the release of the hormone oxytocin in your body, you're more likely to
feel relaxed while BREATFEEDING. Numerous studies in animals and humans have found that oxytocin promotes
nurturing and relaxation.
One such study found that women who had high amounts of oxytocin in their system (50 percent of breastfeeding moms
compared with 8 percent of bottle-feeding moms) had lower blood pressure after being asked to talk about a
stressful personal problem. Oxytocin also helps your uterus contract back to size after birth, resulting in
less postpartum BLEEDING.
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- Breastfeeding may reduce your risk of some types of cancer
Numerous studies have found that the longer women breastfeed, the more they're protected
against breast and ovarian cancer. For breast cancer, nursing for at least a year appears to have the
most protective effect. It's not entirely clear how breastfeeding helps, but structural changes in breast
tissue caused by breastfeeding and the fact that lactation suppresses the amount of estrogens your body
produces may play roles. Researchers think the effect on ovarian cancer may be related to estrogens
suppression as well.
- Breastfeeding may protect against osteoporosis later in life
There's conflicting evidence about the connection between breastfeeding and bone density.
It's apparent that lactating women do lose some bone density when they start breastfeeding, probably due
to a calcium deficiency or low estrogens, but those losses are recovered during or after weaning. Two
studies show that breastfeeding may actually improve a woman's bone density in the long run and reduce
the risk of hip fractures in old age.
- Breastfeeding may protect preemies from infections and high blood pressure later in
life
Breast milk seems to offer special protection for premature babies. One study
found that very low-birth weight babies nourished by breast milk had fewer serious blood infections and
meningitis than those given formula milk. Another study found that preemies given breast milk were less likely
to have high blood pressure by the time they were teenagers.
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