Breastfed babies are significantly less likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), infectious diseases and even injuries in the first year of life.
This was what US researchers found in a new study focusing on infant mortality in a developed country, reported The Globe and Mail.
Breastfed babies’ overall mortality was about 21 per cent lower than formula-fed babes, and the longer a newborn breast-fed, the lower the child's risk of dying prematurely.
"There's already a lot of reasons for women to breastfeed their babies," said Walter Rogan, an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C. "This is one more."
The study, published in the medical journal Pediatrics, is one of the first to look at the link between breastfeeding and infant mortality in a developed country.
For Ms Donna Isenor, a Toronto mother of three young children, the research provides confirmation that she is doing the right thing.
"Science has put a rubber stamp on my instincts as a mom," she said.
Said the 42-year-old: “Breastfeeding is the best thing I can do for my kids. They're healthy, they're happy, and we have a loving, tender relationship.
Her oldest, 5-year-old Caleb, breast-fed for 18 months; the middle child, 3-year-old Mitchell, weaned himself at 28 months; and baby Maranatha, 11 months, "will keep breastfeeding until she's good and ready to stop".
Dr. Rogan said it is unclear why breastfeeding reduces the overall risk of death, but it is likely a combination of breast milk boosting the baby's immune system and the fact that breastfeeding mothers spend more time with their babies.
The study showed that breastfed babies were 41 per cent less likely to die of injuries than bottle-fed babies.
They were also 24 per cent less likely to die of infections, and 16 per cent less likely to die of SIDS, the most common cause of death in the under-one age group.
The study looked at 1,204 babies who died and compared them to a group of 7,740 children between the ages of one month and one year. Children under the age of one month were excluded to eliminate those with severe birth defects and tumours, which often preclude them from breastfeeding.
In the U.S., about 70 per cent of women are breastfeeding their babies when they leave hospital, and that falls to less than 15 per cent by the baby's first birthday.
According to the World Health Organization, babies should breast-feed exclusively until the age of six months, and continue to be breast-fed to age two for optimal health.
Worldwide, more than 1.5 million children die each year because they are not breast-fed. In developing countries, infants fed formula have a four- to 16-fold increased risk of dying of diarrheal disease compared to exclusively breast-fed infants.
