Vicki posted about an article on the appendix and quoted:
>

>> In less-developed countries, where the appendix may be still  
>> useful, the
> rate of appendicitis is lower than in the United States, other studies
> have shown, Parker said."


I recall a study by Italian researcher A. Pisacane that found that  
babies breastfed for shorter durations were more prone to later  
appendicitis than those breastfed for longer periods.

Pisacane, A et al. "Breastfeeding and acute appendicitis" BMJ 1995;  
310:836-837

 From Pisacane's article:

"Our data indicate that children with acute appendicitis were less  
likely than controls to have been breast fed for a prolonged length  
of time.

There are several reasons why prolonged breast feeding may be  
associated with a decreased risk of acute appendicitis. The immune  
components of human milk provide an antigen avoidance system that can  
decrease the severity of infection and probably the inflammatory  
reactions associated with it.5 This milder inflammatory response  
could programme the immune system of the infant, its effects lasting  
for several years, and it could be associated with a more tolerant  
lymphoid tissue at the base of the appendix. Alternatively, prolonged  
breast feeding may be a marker of some unknown socioeconomic  
characteristic that could be associated with a low risk of illness.

Acute appendicitis may represent another case in which the infant  
environment is an important determinant of adult disease, even if our  
data generate rather than test a hypothesis and need to be confirmed  
by further research."



Read the study at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/310/6983/836



"Prolonged" breastfeeding still wasn't that long.  What if they would  
look at babies breastfed the recommended amount of exclusive for  
around 6 months, then continuing for another 1 - 2 or more years with  
the addition of appropriate complementary foods?  Then we might see a  
dramatic difference.

Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC, LLLL

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