Tufts Medical Center Researchers Find Health Benefits of Breastfeeding For Both Infants and Mothers
Boston, Mass. – There is evidence that breastfeeding decreases infants’ and mothers’ risks of having many short-term and chronic diseases, according to a report by researchers from Tufts Medical Center’s Institute of Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies. The team, led by Stanley Ip, MD, and Joseph Lau, MD, conducted a comprehensive review of research on the short- and long-term effects of breastfeeding on both infant and maternal health in developed countries.
The report found that breastfeeding reduced infants’ risk of ear infections by up to 50 percent, decreased the risk of serious lower respiratory tract infections by 72 percent, and also lowered the risk of a skin rash similar to eczema by 42 percent. Children with a family history of asthma who had been breastfed were 40 percent less likely to have asthma, and children who were not prone to asthma had a 27 percent reduced risk of developing asthma compared to children who were not breastfed. Breastfeeding also reduced the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes by about 20 percent. These benefits were seen in infants who were breastfed for three or more months. Breastfeeding also reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 39 percent compared to infants who were not breastfed.
The report also found that breastfeeding was associated with fewer episodes of diarrhea during infancy, decreased incidence of childhood leukemia, and decreased deaths from sudden infant death syndrome. The report found no clear relationship between breastfeeding and improvement in IQ. In premature infants, breastfeeding decreased the occurrence of necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious gastrointestinal infection that often results in death.
For health outcomes in mothers, the report found that women who breastfed their infants had up to a 12 percent reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes for each year they breastfed. Breastfeeding decreased the risk of ovarian cancer by up to 21 percent, and also decreased the risk of breast cancer by up to 28 percent in mothers whose lifetime duration of breastfeeding was 12 months or longer.
Women who did not breastfeed their infants were more likely to have postpartum depression, but unmeasured factors—such as depression that was undiagnosed prior to giving birth—may have increased the rate of depression seen in this group. Breastfeeding did not increase the risk of fractures due to oseteoporosis. The effect of breastfeeding on a woman’s weight could not be determined based on the available studies.
“The results of this report show that a history of breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of many diseases in both infants and mothers from developed countries,” said Ip. “However, because the data in this review were gathered largely from observational studies, causality cannot be automatically inferred based on these findings. For future studies, clear subject selection criteria and definition of ‘exclusive breastfeeding,’ as well as reliable collection of feeding data and blinded assessment of the outcome measures will help.”
The report was nominated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health and prepared by a team of researchers led by Ip and Lau at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) at Tufts Medical Center. The EPCs develop evidence reports and technology assessments on topics relevant to clinical, social science/behavioral, economic, and other health care organization and delivery issues—specifically those that are common, expensive, and/or significant for the Medicare and Medicaid populations. Tufts Medical Center’s EPC is one of 13 such centers nationwide.
Other researchers included Mei Chung, MPH; Gowri Raman, MD; Priscilla Chew, MPH; Nombulelo Magula, MD; project manager Deirdre DeVine, Mlitt; and Thomas Trikalinos, MD, PhD.
Breastfeeding and Maternal and Infant Outcomes in Developed Countries can be found online at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/brfouttp.htm. Copies of the report are available free of charge by contacting the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or 1-800-358-9295. AHRQ is the lead federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.
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