Carlos Gonzalez responded to a question about the nutritional value of human milk after 12 mo. In his message he stated that he was unaware of references for morbidity studies that compare breastfed vs. non-breastfed toddlers living in high-income countries. A study published last year by Kay Dewey et al. demonstrated a decrease in duration of otitis media in children 12-24 mo of age (8.8 [non-breastfed] vs 5.9 [breastfed] days). The reference is: Dewey K, Heinig J, Nommsen-Rivers LA. Differences in morbidity between breast-fed and formula-fed infants. J Pediatr 1995;126:696-702. As you would expect, there are many articles showing similar results in low-income countries. Grace S. Marquis, Ph.D. Grace S. Marquis, Ph.D. Department of International Health 720 S. 20th Street University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL 35294-0008 TEL 205-934-0446 FAX 205-975-3329