Abstracts

Relationship of infant diet to childhood health: seven year follow up of cohort of children in Dundee infant feeding study

This continuation of the Dundee infant feeding study gives important insights into the long-term health benefits of breastfeeding. Previous results reported that breastfeeding for 13 weeks reduced the incidence of gastroenteritis illness and respiratory disease for at least the first year of life. This time the 674 infants studied were divided into three milk feeding groups–exclusive breastfeeding, partial breastfeeding with infant formula supplemented before 15 weeks, exclusive bottle feeding; and two solid feeding groups–introduction before 15 weeks and introduction after 15 weeks.

The estimated probability of ever having respiratory symptoms was lowest–17%–for the exclusively breastfeeding group, 31% for the partial breastfeeders, and 32.2% for the bottle feeding. The introduction of solids before 15 weeks was associated with increased wheezing during childhood, 21% probability as compared to 9.7% for those who introduced solids after 15 weeks. Children who had been given solids before the age of 15 week were considerably heavier and had higher body fat measurements than those given solids after 15 weeks. Systolic blood pressure was higher in children exclusively bottle fed and lower for those partially and exclusively breastfed.

In conclusion the key messages from this important study are:

• Exclusive breastfeeding was associated with significant reduction in childhood respiratory illness.
• The early introduction of solids is associated with increased body fat and weight in childhood.
• Exclusive bottle feeding is associated with higher systolic blood pressure in childhood.
• Breastfeeding and the delaying of the introduction of solids until after 15 weeks may have a beneficial on early childhood disease and subsequent adult disease.

Bedsharing Promotes Breastfeeding

Since breastfeeding is related to a reduction in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), child care practices that enhance breastfeeding may be a means to reducing the infant’s vulnerability to develop SIDS. This study quantified the night-time breastfeeding behaviours in 20 mother child pairs that routinely bedshared and a group of 15 that slept solitary when the infants were 3 to 4 months old. Results showed that routine bedsharing infants breastfed approximately three times longer than the non bedsharing infants during night-time breastfeeding. When quantified this represented a two-fold increase in the number of breastfeeding episodes and 39% longer episodes.

McKenna and his team suggest that bedsharing may offer protection against SIDS. Moreover McKenna underscores the need to rethink normal infant-mother behaviour, not only in cultural terms but also in biological terms.

Baby cribs breed social ills, psychiatrist says

Presenting at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, psychologist Michael Commons from the Harvard Medical School told the meeting that many of western societal mental health problems can be related to the infant crib, and leaving babies alone at night causes stress and can spark anxiety.

“As an infant, sleeping by yourself is very stressful ... and the stress that goes on in the brain causes the brain to secrete (the hormone) cortisol.” Commons told the conference that excess cortisol in the subcortical areas of the brain can alter children’s neurochemistry and make them more susceptible to stress for the rest of their lives. Babies, he said, especially those younger than 8 months should be allowed to sleep with their parents. “Infants should be rubbed and hugged and kissed, and they should be kept very close to parents.”