Breast feeding could be helpful in preventing a number of diseases in both the mother as well as the child, suggests a study.
-Researchers from the University of North Carolina, sub-grouped the population to be studied into two groups, an optimal group (within which the mothers breastfed their children as per the recommended guidelines) and a sub-optimal group (within which the mothers did not breastfed as per the recommended guidelines).
-As per recommendations, it is suggested to breastfeed the child for atleast 1 year (which includes six months of exclusive breastfeeding).
-Research and overall data analysis suggested that breastfeeding reduced the associated cost and the rate of maternal diseases such as breast cancer, pre-menopausal ovarian cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart attacks.
–Children diseases included in the evaluation were acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ear infections, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, gastrointestinal infections, lower respiratory tract infections, obesity, necrotizing enterocolitis.
-Sub-optimal breastfeeding was found to be associated with more than 3,340 premature deaths amounting to close to USD 14.2 billion in cost.
-Findings were published in Maternal and Child Nutrition Journal.
Source: Maternal and Child Nutrition Journal