In a Pediatric Allergy and Immunology analysis of children with asthma, those who had been breastfed had a 45% lower risk of asthma exacerbations later in life compared with children who had not been breastfed.
Investigators analyzed data from 960 children aged 4 to 12 years who were using regular asthma medication.
“Although in our study breastfeeding was shown to be a protective factor for asthma exacerbations, it is still unclear whether there is a causal relation between breastfeeding and asthma exacerbations; 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 Dr. Anke Maitland-van der Zee, senior author of the study. “Further prospective research is warranted to confirm this association and to clarify the underlying mechanisms.”
Link to Study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pai.12760/full
Pediatric Allergy and Immunology is the world’s leading journal in pediatric allergy, publishing original contributions and comprehensive reviews related to the understanding and treatment of immune deficiency and allergic inflammatory and infectious diseases in children. Other areas of interest include development of specific and accessory immunity and the immunological interaction during pregnancy and lactation between mother and child. As Pediatric Allergy and Immunology promotes communication between scientists engaged in basic research and clinicians working with children, we publish both clinical and experimental work.