Hi! My name is Megan Geiszler and I am a student at the
University of North Dakota College of Nursing. Upon joining LACTNET, I
read several posts containing information regarding why breastfeeding
is beneficial in reducing allergy development in infants. This subject
is interesting to me in that I have both allergies and asthma; and I
was breastfeed for one year. According to Saarinen & Kajosaari (1995),
atopic disease is common, and incidence of atopy has been on the rise.
Genetic and environmental factors are responsible for predisposition to
allergies, but heredity by itself is considered the determining
environmental influence in the development of atopic disease.
Through the research that I have conducted on this subject
matter by reading several journal articles on this topic, a common
theme has been present. The theme that I have noticed is, exclusive
breastfeeding with no inclusion of cow’s milk formulas and other
complementing foods during the first 4 to 6 months of life have a
preventive effect against the occurrence of allergies (Koletzko &
Kinderspital, 2000).
As I continued on this interesting topic, I came across a very
striking study. The findings contradict earlier studies that suggested
that breast milk helps decrease the incidence of atopy and respiratory
problems in infants. The study included 504 infants all of who were
breastfed and than 533 infants who were not breastfed to test whether
breastfeeding helps or does not help with allergy/asthma development.
The results were: infants who were breastfed were more likely to
develop asthma and more likely to react to environmental allergens
(cats, dusts, pollens, etc.) than those individuals who were not
breastfed (Sears, Greene, Willan, Flannery, Taylor, & Herbison, 2001).
In conclusion, I would be interested in other opinions on this
topic and whether we can conclude that breastfeeding does or does not
help in the prevention of allergy development in infants.
Thanks,
Megan Geiszler S.N.
Berthold, K., & Kinderspital,V.H. (2000). Complementary foods and the
development of food allergy. Pediatrics, 106, 1285-1286. Retrieved 1-
16-02 from http://proquest.umi.com.
Saarinen, U.M., & Kajosaari, M. (1995). Breastfeeding as prophylaxis
against Atopic disease: Prospective follow-up study until 17 years
old. Lancet, 346,1065-1072. Retrieved 1-16-02 from
http://proquest.umi.com.
Sears, M.R., Greene, J., Willan, A.R., Flannery, E.N., Taylor, D.R., &
Herbison.G.P. (2001). The effect of breastfeeding on the risk of atopy
and asthma: a longitudinal cohort analysis. Journal of Allergy and
Clinical Immunology,107, S233.
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