Dear friends,

My neighbourtown university (Maastricht) conducted a study on the effect of breastfeeding on the incidence of eczema in infants:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/119/1/e137
They found that children breastfed from birth tended to have a slightly higher incidence of eczema, but that prolonged breastfeeding (>7 months) had a slightly but insignificant lowering effect. 
It seems to me they are missing a spot in the way they either colelcted data or processed or interpreted it, but my research assessing skills are insufficiant to analse this study. Did anyone of you wise ones read it and could you give some comments on it?
As a sidenote: Perhaps I am biaised with this university. I was once one of the LCs hired in a Maastricht University study on the effect of free LC care on the duration of breastfeeding and they just managed to do it all wrong, resulting in a ''no effect'' outcome.)
It seems to me that they use a incomplete definition of breastfeeding (failing to distinguish exclusivity) and I see no mention of reasons why moms choose to breastfeed in the first place. Perhaps a contributing factor may be that the area this university and thus the mothers in the study belongs to that part of the country with the lowest breastfeeding rates, the highest un-healthy rates (especially lung related issues) and a history of colemines and now heavy chemical industry.

Seeing forward to any comments.

Warmly,

Gonneke, IBCLC, LLLL in southern Netherlands


  Met vriendelijke groet, 

Gonneke van Veldhuizen, IBCLC 
lactatiekundige
  

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