Breast-Feeding by Mothers With Asthma Reduces Lung Function in Children  CME 
(see bottom for link to article)

This is the same study that another Lactnetter posted re: her local news running a story about it: the Fox News article that started with "Breast-feeding has been known to have some advantages over the bottle-fewer ear infections, less diarrhea and fewer incidents of wheezing early in life." *** some  advantages** !?!?!? grrrrr....
Longer duration of breast-feeding favorably affects lung growth in children, but longer breast-feeding in children of mothers with asthma was associated with November 1, 2007 - Longer duration of breast-feeding favorably affects lung growth in children, but longer breast-feeding in children of mothers with asthma was associated with significant decrease in airflows later in life, according to the results of the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study, reported in the November 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"The protective effect of breastfeeding on early respiratory infections is well established, but its relationship to the development of subsequent asthma remains controversial," write Theresa W. Guilbert, MD, from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and colleagues. "To clarify these complex issues, we examined the association between lung function and infant-feeding practices."

<snip>

"Longer duration of breastfeeding favorably influences lung growth in children," the study authors write. "However, in the presence of maternal asthma, longer breastfeeding is associated with decreased airflows."

<snip>

"For children of nonasthmatic mothers, this analysis demonstrates a further benefit of breastfeeding - that is, that longer breastfeeding is associated with enhanced lung growth," the study authors conclude. "For children of mothers with asthma, it is premature to suggest any change in recommendations to breastfeed their infants given the previously mentioned benefits. Further study is needed to confirm our findings and to determine a biological basis for the relationships observed."

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute supported this study. Some of the study authors have disclosed various financial relationships with Genentech, Merck, and Pfizer.

Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007;176:1-6.

Clinical Context

Many benefits of breast-feeding have been previously demonstrated, including decreased incidence and severity of lower respiratory tract illness and enhanced maturation of antimicrobial and immune responses. However, previous studies have shown that children with atopy whose mothers have asthma are more likely to develop asthma if they are breast-fed, although the mechanisms are not well understood.

The study investigators hypothesized that breast-feeding could have differential effects on lung and airway growth, depending on the asthma status of the mother, and that these effects could persist until the school years. Therefore, this study evaluated the association between feeding practices during infancy and the level of lung function up to adolescence in a cohort of children enrolled at birth.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/565215?sssdmh=dm1.314939&src=nldne



vicki hayes rn ibclc, brunswick ga

http://www.myspace.com/that_username_is_taken





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