New mothers, breastfeed your baby to lower her risk of asthma later in life

It is a known fact that breastfeeding your baby will give her a strong immune system. However, with more research on the topic, it is getting clearer that there’s nothing more beneficial to a newborn than breast milk. Here’s another reason for new mothers to breastfeed their babies as according to a recent study, breastfed newborns have a 45 percent lower risk of asthma exacerbation later in life.

Researchers analysed 960 children aged four to 12 years, who were using regular asthma medication. Senior author Dr Anke Maitland-van der Zee said that although the study has shown that breastfeeding has a protective factor for asthma exacerbation, it is still unclear whether there is a causal relation between breastfeeding and asthma exacerbation; however the relation might be explained by the influence of breastfeeding on the immune system.

“Changes in the composition and activity of the gut microbiome in early life can influence the immune system and these changes might indirectly lead to changes in asthma later in life,” said Zee explained. The researchers concluded that further prospective research is warranted to confirm this association and to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

First Published: Sep 02, 2017 15:19 IST