The child's immune system reaches full adult-level immunity at 6 YEARS (yes,
I'm shouting), not six months.  I can provide references when I get to work
later today, if anyone wants.  There have been no studies of breast milk
composition past two years post-partum (nor have I been able to interest any
biochemist types in conducting a study, and I *have* tried), so no one
really knows what the immune properties of breast milk are in women nursing
children beyond two years.  We don't know that the milk still contains
antibodies.  On the other hand, we don't know that it doesn't.  Certainly up
to the age of two years (where the studies stop), the breast milk continues
to strengthen and augment and *prime* the child's own immune system.

Seems to me I have references in my office also that talk about how
breastfeeding *protects* children against botulism.  One study showed that
the breastfed babies who got botulism all survivied, while the bottle-fed
babies who got botulism all died.



Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Specialist in infant feeding and growth of children
Texas A&M University
e-mail to [log in to unmask]
(409) 845-5256
(409) 778-4513