This report is from a British organization, The Foundation for the
Study of Infant Deaths (FSID). Cot is the British term for crib.

http://www.fsid.org.uk/breastfeeding-news.html
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cot death
30 April 2008

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cot death
- New advice launches Save a Baby Month -

The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) today announces
its latest advice that breastfeeding your baby can reduce the risk of
cot death. The advice, released to launch FSID's cot death awareness
drive Save a Baby Month which runs from 1-31 May, is based on research
which showed that babies who were at least partly breastfed were
one-third less likely to die as a cot death than babies who were never
breastfed (1).

FSID Director, Joyce Epstein, says: "There are so many reasons why
breast is best, but there are none that can be stronger than
potentially saving your child's life. We encourage every new mum to
breastfeed."

Angela Griffin, FSID's celebrity patron, breastfed both of her
daughters and says: "Realising you're the only person in the world who
can give your child exactly what they need is such a great feeling."

Sally Inch, infant feeding specialist at Oxford Radcliffe NHS Trust,
says: "The more we discover about breastfeeding, the more important it
becomes. Not only does breastfeeding provide the baby with all the
nutrients needed, in a form that cannot be replicated artificially,
but a baby who is breastfed is at reduced risk of infections
(particularly gut, ear, chest and urine infections) and less likely to
be hospitalised as a result." (2)

Any breastfeeding, even a few days, is better than none, but most
authorities including the Department of Health now recommend that
babies be exclusively breastfed for at least six months and that
breastfeeding is continued, with the addition of appropriate weaning
foods, for as long as the mother and baby want.

If you need breastfeeding advice or support, please contact your
midwife, health visitor, local baby café or peer supporter, or ring
the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0844 20 909 20.

Cot death is still the biggest killer of babies over one month old in
the UK today, claiming the lives of around 300 infants every year.

Notes for editors

Press office contacts: please call Nicola Peckett, Head of Media, on
020 7227 5212 or Stacey Kerr, Communications Officer, on 020 7227 5210
for more information or to arrange an interview.

Go to www.fsid.org.uk/breastfeeding.html for more information about
cot death and breastfeeding.

Research background

(1) Several published studies have found that breastfeeding protects
against the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). One
meta-analysis of 23 reports (i) concluded that formula fed infants
were more than twice as likely to die from SIDS than breast fed
infants with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.11 (95% CI 1.66-2.68).

Recently the USA Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
performed a more stringent meta-analysis (ii) incorporating 6 studies
in which SIDS was rigorously defined and the duration of breastfeeding
specified. They found that ever breastfeeding reduced the risk of SIDS
compared with never breastfeeding, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.64
(95% CI 0.51-0.81). It is therefore clear that breastfeeding should be
recommended as a protective measure against SIDS, in addition to the
other well known reasons for promoting the practice.

(2) Breastfeeding and hospitalization for diarrheal and respiratory
infection: The study (iii) was a population-based survey (sweep 1 of
the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study). Data on infant feeding,
infant health, and a range of confounding factors were available for
15,890 healthy, singleton, term infants who were born in 2000–2002.
The main outcome measures were parental report of hospitalization for
diarrhea and lower respiratory tract infection in the first 8 months
after birth.

Seventy percent of infants were breastfed (ever), 34% received breast
milk for at least 4 months, and 1.2% were exclusively breastfed for at
least 6 months. By 8 months of age, 12% of infants had been
hospitalized (1.1% for diarrhea and 3.2% for lower respiratory tract
infection). Data analyzed by month of age, with adjustment for
confounders, show that exclusive breastfeeding, compared with not
breastfeeding, protects against hospitalization for diarrhea and lower
respiratory tract infection. The effect of partial breastfeeding is
weaker.

Population-attributable fractions suggest that an estimated 53% of
diarrhea hospitalizations could have been prevented each month by
exclusive breastfeeding and 31% by partial breastfeeding. Similarly,
27% of lower respiratory tract infection hospitalizations could have
been prevented each month by exclusive breastfeeding and 25% by
partial breastfeeding. The protective effect of breastfeeding for
these outcomes wears off soon after breastfeeding cessation.

Research papers

(i) McVea KL, Turner PD, Peppler DK. The role of breastfeeding in
sudden infant death syndrome. J Hum Lact. 2000; 16: 13-20.

(ii) Ip S, Chung M, Raman G, Chew P, Magula N, DeVine D, et al.
Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed
countries. Evidence report/technology assessment No. 153 (prepared by
Tufts-New England Medical Center Evidence-based Practice Center, under
contract No. 290-02-0022) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality;
2007. p. 1-186. http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/brfouttp.htm

(iii) Quigley MA, Kelly YJ and Sacker A. Breastfeeding and
Hospitalization for Diarrheal and Respiratory Infection in the United
Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study, Pediatrics 2007;119;e837-e842
http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/119/4/e837

About FSID

The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths is the UK's leading baby
charity working to prevent sudden deaths and promote infant health.
FSID funds research, supports bereaved families, promotes baby care
advice, and works to improve investigations when a baby dies. FSID
runs a Helpline (020 7233 2090) for parents and professionals seeking
advice on safe baby care. The Helpline also supports bereaved
families. Advice for parents and professionals can also be found at
www.fsid.org.uk
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