http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/451134

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Mar 21 - The results of a study published in the
March issue of the Archives of Diseases in Childhood suggest that
predominant breast feeding for at least 6 months and partial breast feeding
for up to 12 months reduces the prevalence and morbidity of respiratory
illness in infancy.

In a prospective birth cohort study, Dr. Wendy H. Oddy of the Curtin
University of Technology in West Perth, Australia and colleagues examined
the association between breast feeding duration and the incidence and
morbidity of respiratory illness in the first year of life. Main outcome
measures included hospital, doctor, or clinic visits and hospital
admissions.

"Main exposure measures were the duration of predominant breast-feeding
(defined as the age other milk was introduced) and partial (any) breast
feeding (defined as the age breast-feeding was stopped)," the investigators
explain. "Main confounders were gender, gestational age less than 37 weeks,
smoking in pregnancy, older siblings, maternal education, and maternal age."

After adjusting the data for confounding factors, predominant breast feeding
for less than 6 months was a risk factor for two or more hospital, doctor,
or clinic visits (p < 0.0005) and hospital admission (p = 0.007) for
wheezing lower respiratory illnesses. "For two or more wheezing lower
respiratory illnesses, this effect continued until 8 months," (p = 0.018),
they report.

"Although additional studies are required to confirm these findings and to
understand the mechanisms of breast milk protection," they suggest that
public health interventions to promote breast feeding for up to 1 year may
reduce the prevalence and morbidity of respiratory illness in infants.

Arch Dis Child 2003;88:224-228.

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