Longer Breastfeeding Linked to Better Nutritional and Health Outcomes
Key clinical point: Encourage breastfeeding. The longer mothers breastfeed their children, the less likely the children are to have ear, throat, and sinus infections and the more likely they are to establish some healthful eating habits.
Major finding: At 6 years of age, children who had been breastfed had significantly reduced odds of ear, throat, and sinus infections; were significantly less likely to drink 100% juice or sugar-sweetened beverages; and were significantly more likely to consume fruits, vegetables, and water than those not breastfed or breastfed a shorter duration.
Data source: Two analyses from the prospective Infant Feeding Practices Study II at year-6 follow-up, involving more than 1,200 children, started in 2005-2007.
Disclosures: Both studies were funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office on Women’s Health, the National Institutes of Health, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The authors of both studies reported no disclosures.
FROM PEDIATRICS
Both studies were funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office on Women’s Health, the National Institutes of Health, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The authors of both studies reported no disclosures.
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