Human milk is recommended as the optimal source of nutrition for infants by multiple medical organizations.[1] Human milk contains far more than a combination of macronutrients and micronutrients; it contains living cells, growth factors, and immunoreactive substances, most of which can withstand an infant’s digestive enzymes.[2][3] Breastfed infants have a reduced risk of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases,[4] as well as a lower prevalence of dental malocclusions (crooked teeth).[5] Breastfeeding may even reduce the infant’s risk of developing chronic conditions like type 1 diabetes[6] and obesity[7], although data on these long-term outcomes are subject to certain limitations (e.g., confounding). In addition, the skin-to-skin contact accompanying breastfeeding may contribute positively to parent-infant bonding and infant emotional resilience.[8]
References
- ^Section on BreastfeedingBreastfeeding and the use of human milkPediatrics.(2012 Mar)
- ^Andreas NJ, Kampmann B, Mehring Le-Doare KHuman breast milk: A review on its composition and bioactivity.Early Hum Dev.(2015-Nov)
- ^Ballard O, Morrow ALHuman milk composition: nutrients and bioactive factors.Pediatr Clin North Am.(2013-Feb)
- ^Frank NM, Lynch KF, Uusitalo U, Yang J, Lönnrot M, Virtanen SM, Hyöty H, Norris JM,The relationship between breastfeeding and reported respiratory and gastrointestinal infection rates in young children.BMC Pediatr.(2019-Sep-18)
- ^Peres KG, Cascaes AM, Peres MA, Demarco FF, Santos IS, Matijasevich A, Barros AJExclusive Breastfeeding and Risk of Dental Malocclusion.Pediatrics.(2015-Jul)
- ^Güngör D, Nadaud P, LaPergola CC, Dreibelbis C, Wong YP, Terry N, Abrams SA, Beker L, Jacobovits T, Järvinen KM, Nommsen-Rivers LA, O'Brien KO, Oken E, Pérez-Escamilla R, Ziegler EE, Spahn JMInfant milk-feeding practices and diabetes outcomes in offspring: a systematic review.Am J Clin Nutr.(2019-Mar-01)
- ^Horta BL, Loret de Mola C, Victora CGLong-term consequences of breastfeeding on cholesterol, obesity, systolic blood pressure and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Acta Paediatr.(2015-Dec)
- ^Bergman NJBirth practices: Maternal-neonate separation as a source of toxic stress.Birth Defects Res.(2019-Sep-01)