SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2007

December 19, 2007

Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Asthma Grows More Complex

Summary
The goal of this article was to elaborate the optimal duration of breastfeeding with respect to the risk of asthma primarily and secondarily to the risk of persistent wheezing, cough, and "phlegm" in school-age children.

The population consisted of a cohort study with the baseline in 1991 and the follow-up in 1997. There were 1,984 children ages 7 to 14 years.

The investigators found a U-shaped relation between breastfeeding and outcomes. The lowest risk was with breastfeeding from 4 to 9 months for asthma, and from 7 to 9 months for persistent wheezing, cough, and phlegm.

Editor's Comments
Studies on breastfeeding and asthma have been contradictory. The authors proposed that a concave relationship could explain the inconsistencies in previous studies.

Reference
Fredriksson P, et al. Breastfeeding and childhood asthma: a 6-year population-based cohort study. In: BMC Pediatrics 2007; 7:39 (28 November).

 

<-- BACK