While it is true that other things may affect the gut even in an
exclusively breastfed infant, these cases are far more rare than cases
where formula has been introduced.  It is quite obvious that the primary
insult of introducing something other than breast milk is far more harmful
to gut health than these other factors.  Moreover, the combination of other
insults with the introduction of formula may even have a synergistically
antagonistic effect, somewhat like smoking and use of birth control pills.
Just think about the increasing evidence that exclusively breastfed babies
are a no higher risk of contracting HIV from their mothers than formula fed
babies and are a far lower risk of death, yet mixed fed babies (thanks to
the destructive influence of the formula on the gut) are the ones who are
at risk of contracting HIV at higher rates.  In the end, we are just
speculating as to the possibilities of what caused the problem for this
particular infant and the answer is probably multifactorial.

Furthermore, when I looked at the studies regarding food allergies, there
is a very important factor that, as near as I can tell, NO ONE is
researching.  I'd have to dig up the studies, about fifty percent of women
were found to not be transmitting cow's milk proteins through their milk.
I have a huge file buried under my desk that I started after Lisa Marasco
(thank you Lisa) sent me some great information on babies developing
allergies through breast milk.  This leads to the question of why some
mothers are passing these proteins through the milk and why other mothers
are not.  Could this be due to engorgement and/or leaky junctions?  And if
so, does appropriate breastfeeding management to prevent pathological
engorgement play a role in minimizing sensitization to allergens.

Susan Burger, MHS, PHD, IBCLC

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