Breastfeeding: The Best Way to Prevent Asthma And Allergies in Infants

Read on to know the health benefits of breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is the best way to feed an infant and provide him with essential nutrients. It is considered as the most effective way to ensure a child’s health and survival, says WHO. Every child must be breastfed for at least the first six months of life. It has been associated with a reduced risk of obesity, cough, vomiting, meningitis, pneumonia etc.

According to a recent study published in the journal Acta Paediatrica, exclusively breastfeeding your child for the first three months can reduce her risk of suffering from asthma and respiratory allergies until the age of six years. It states that lactating reduces your child’s risk of allergies by 23 per cent. Also, it makes your baby 34 per cent less likely to catch asthma.

Breast milk contains everything that a child requires for at least 6 months. Even the composition of breast milk has been found to change as per the changing requirement of the baby. This is what a research published in the Pediatric Clinics of North America states.

Being jam-packed with antibodies, breast milk keeps bacteria and viruses at bay. It contains a high amount of immunoglobulin A (IgA) that forms a protective layer in a baby’s digestive system, throat and nose. Most of the people chose to give formula milk to their children. Notably, it doesn’t contain any antibiotics and therefore its intake doesn’t provide protection against infections and diseases.

Intake of breast milk is linked to a healthy weight. According to a research published in the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, breastfed children are at 15 to 30 per cent reduced risk of being obese than those who are fed formula milk. Additionally, breastfeeding makes a child smarter. It helps in better brain development. Physical touch and eye contact during lactating play a significant role in this regard. Studies state that babies who are breastfed, have higher intelligence scores and they are very less likely to develop behavioural and learning problems.