Natural Family Planning International

Vaginal delivery and breastfeeding lessen the number of new allergy and asthma cases in children up to the age of 18 years.  American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting: abstract A306, presented November 7, 2019.

An increase in breastfeeding and skin-to-skin care protects against sudden unexpected infant death in the first six days following birth.  Journal of Pediatrics, published online: November 18, 2019.

This study explains the harm the use of powdered milk formula causes to the environment and that breastfeeding protects the environment.  International Breastfeeding Journal, November 27, 2019.

A new report suggests that, globally, almost 2.3 billion children and adults are overweight, and more than 150 million children are stunted, and warns that undernutrition and obesity can lead to effects across generations. Specific foods are listed to eat or to avoid and the first recommendation was to breastfeed for two years. The Lancet, December 16, 2019.

Breastfeeding appears to be protective against postpartum multiple sclerosis relapses. JAMA Neurology, December 9, 2019.

Sheila Kippley

This is the first study examining and quantifying the association between breastfeeding and childhood obesity in an African setting with high HIV prevalence. Breastfeeding was independently associated with reduced childhood obesity for both HIV-exposed and unexposed children.  Continued breastfeeding is critical to tackling the growing obesity epidemic. In the era of widespread effective anti-retroviral treatment for HIV-infected women for life, this research supports  the recommendation of breastfeeding for all women. PLOS, August 27, 2019.

This study shows that short-term breastfeeding of only 2 months supports healthy cognitive development at 5 years of age compared to infants never breastfed.  Children at 5 years had an increased overall IQ (2.00 points) and non-verbal IQ (1.88) among those who were predominately breastfed for 2 months of age compared with those never breastfed. Acta Pediatrica, September 19, 2019.

“Support for breastfeeding is an environmental imperative.  Formula milk contributes to environmental degradation and climate change.”  This is the title and sub-title of research in the United Kingdom.  The carbon footprint of formula is a major concern in this article.  Much of this is due to formula production and transportation.  One of the examples:   Helping mothers in the UK alone to exclusively breastfeed their babies would reduce carbon emissions equivalent to reducing road traffic by 50,000 to 77,500 cars each year. As the research states for UK society:  “Our house is on fire.”  I recommend this article for all.  British Medical Journal, October 2, 2019.

Breastfeeding for more than 12 months was associated with a relative risk reduction of 30% for diabetes and a relative risk reduction of 13% for hypertension. Data was analyzed from 255,000 women.  Breastfeeding may have a positive impact on cardiovascular outcomes in mothers. JAMA Network Open, October 16, 2019.

UNICEF’s report examines the issue of children, food and nutrition. The report found that one third of children under age five are malnourished – stunted, wasted or overweight – while two thirds are at risk of malnutrition and hidden hunger because of the poor quality of their diets. Only 2 in 5 infants under six months of age are exclusively breastfed, as recommended. Breastfeeding could save the lives of 820,000 children annually worldwide. The main concern is the sales of milk-based formula which grew 41% globally and 72% in upper middle-income countries such as Brazil, China, and Turkey from 2008–2013.  “The State of the World’s Children,” UNICEF, October 2019.

Sheila Kippley

The Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ)  Early Life Nutrition Coalition highlights the protective effect of breastfeeding against some of the biggest health issues affecting Australian women today – cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  Women who breastfeed for 12 months reduce their risk of breast cancer by up to 26% and reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 37%. Women who breastfeed for a longer period, instead of a short time, reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 32% and reduce their risk of dying from heart disease by 34%.  The longer the mother breastfeeds after introducing solid foods, the lower her risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes or heart disease.  The Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) Early Life Nutrition Coalition, May 2019.

A major WHO study involving 33,000 children in 22 countries claims exclusive breastfeeding for six months cuts the chances of a child becoming obese by 25%.  European Congress on Obesity, April 2019.  Published in Obesity Facts, May 2019.

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who were breastfed for more than six months tend to have lower disease activity.  Those children who had been breastfed for more than six months tended to have fewer joint deformities and lower disease activity. Clinical Rheumatology, first online May 6, 2019.

Breastfeeding lowers the risk of heart disease in women.  Almost 300 postmenopausal women were involved in the study.  Arterial wall stiffness was lower in women who breastfed for longer periods.  Women who breastfed for more than six months also had significantly lower measurements for vascular wall thickness than those who breastfed for between one and six months, suggesting reduced atherosclerosis.  European Endocrinology Society, annual meeting, May 18-19, 2019.

Breastfeeding was independently associated with a 44% reduction in the risk of intussusception, compared with that of bottle-fed babies.  Intussusception is a serious medical condition in which part of the intestine slides into the section next to it. It is sometimes referred to as ‘telescoping.’ This can cause partial or complete bowel obstruction, and it can cut off blood supply to part of the intestine.  This condition usually happens in the small bowel. Intussusception is most commonly seen in children under the age of 3, and the cause in most cases is unknown.  Left untreated, it can lead to the death of bowel tissue, bowel perforation, infection, sepsis, and death.  Symptoms of intussusception were vomiting, abdominal pain, hematochezia, pallor, and reduced appetite, each present in at least half of affected infants.  Pediatric News, June 4, 2019.

A study looked at the cost of not breastfeeding for 130 countries because of the resulting diseases:  595,379 childhood deaths (6 to 59 months) from diarrhea and pneumonia each year and 974,956 cases of childhood obesity can be attributed to not breastfeeding according to recommendations each year. For women, breastfeeding is estimated to have the potential to prevent 98 243 deaths from breast and ovarian cancers as well as type II diabetes each year. The total annual global costs of not breastfeeding were estimated at 694 322 lives lost annually and economic losses of US$341.3 billion.  Health Policy and Planning, June 24, 2019.

Higher levels of a customary gut bacteria enhanced by breastfeeding in early infancy were found to be coupled with an improved response to vaccines in infants through two years of age. Agricultural Research Service, June 28, 2019.

Sheila Kippley