My name is Melissa Flynn and I’m a junior nursing student at the University
of North Dakota. I’m currently enrolled in a childbearing course and have a
strong interest in exclusive breastfeeding because of the many benefits it
provides an infant with. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as feeding with
breast milk only and no other supplements (e.g. formula, solid foods)
(Pediatrics, 1996). One benefit of breastfeeding I am particularly
interested in is decrease in the development of allergies. First of all,
breastfeeding has been found as early since the 1930s to reduce a child’s
risk of eczema (Wang & Sampson, 2001). I have found several studies to
support this statement. One study conducted by Obihara randomly surveyed two
suburbs of Cape Town, Africa and found that children who were breastfed for
6 months or longer had significantly lower rates of allergies overall,
especially allergies to hay fever (Chang-Yeung, 2006).

On the other hand, studies have shown that breastfeeding either has no
impact on whether an infant develops allergies or increases the chance of an
infant developing allergies. A recent Cochrane review by Kramer and Kahuka
reported no significant reduction in the risk of developing allergies after
analyzing studies on breastfeeding from Finland, Australia, and Belarus
(Wang & Sampson, 2001). Furthermore, there are some studies out there that
prove that breastfeeding can actually increase the risk of a child
developing allergies due to allergens and cytokines present in the breast
milk (Wang & Sampson, 2001). After researching this topic, I was wondering,
have you found in clinical practice that breastfeeding increases, decreases,
or has no impact on the probability of a child developing allergies? Thank
you for reading this post. Your time and consideration are greatly appreciated.

Melissa Flynn, SN
University of North Dakota
College of Nursing

References

Chan-Yeung, Moira, A., & Becker, A.B. (2006) Primary prevention of childhood
asthma and allergic disorders. Current Opinion in Allergy & Clinical
Immunology, 6,
146-151.

Pediatrics: Breastfeeding may curb childhood allergies. (1996). American
Journal of Nursing, 96, 10-11.

Wang, Julie MD; Sampson, Hugh A. MD Nutrition in infant allergy: A step in
the right direction. Holistic Nursing Practice, 20, 299-302.

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