Today's BMJ contains the following article: Relation of infant diet to
childhood health: seven year follow up of cohort of children in Dundee
infant feeding study
Andrea C Wilson, J Stewart Forsyth, Stephen A Greene, Linda Irvine,
Catherine Hau, Peter W Howie
It concludes that "The probability of respiratory illness occurring at any
time during childhood is significantly reduced if the child is fed
exclusively breast milk for 15 weeks and no solid foods are introduced
during this time. Breast feeding and the late introduction of solids may
have a beneficial effect on childhood health and subsequent adult disease."
Introduction of solids under 15 weeks of age was also associated with
increased percentage body fat and systolic blood pressure. The abstract can
be accessed at:
http://www.bmj.com/bmj/archive/curr.htm
Laureen Lawlor-Smith
South Australia