Breastfeeding is known to have numerous health benefits for infants, far above and beyond any kind of milk substitute. It has been proved in the past to have beneficial effects on the wellbeing and respiratory health of babies both during their infancy and early life, but new research has shown that this could be extended up to four years of age, depending on the period of time that the mother breastfeeds for.
This new research shows that exclusive breastfeeding (that is, feeding a baby nothing but human breast milk) for the first six months of life can increase wellness by lowering asthma and respiratory symptoms during the first four years of a child’s life. This news may encourage mothers to not only breastfeed their babies, but continue to breastfeed them up until six months of age.
Results of the study were published in the European Respiratory Journal, showing that scientists had found the combination of breastfeeding and holding off on solid foods until six months to be significant.
Symptoms such as phlegm and episodes of wheezing were far greater in babies that were not breastfed or fed for a relatively short time when compared to those who had been fully breastfed for a longer period of time.
Early introduction of food in some children led to dry cough, wheezing, phlegm and shortness of breath.
The results of this independent study support current health guidelines, which recommend that mothers should breastfeed exclusively until their babies are the age of six months, and then begin to wean them onto solid food. There is some feeling amongst the medical community that the increase of asthma and respiratory problems in children may be related to the low breastfeeding rates amongst mothers.
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