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Breast-feeding reduces the risk of asthma during the first 4 years of life

Inger Kull1, Catarina Almqvist, Gunnar Lilja

  • 1Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Stockholm County Council, Sweden. inger.kull@sma.sll.se

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|October 14, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Breast-feeding, particularly exclusive for four months, significantly lowers a child's risk of developing asthma by age four. This protective effect holds true regardless of allergies and may be stronger in children without a family history of asthma.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The role of breastfeeding in preventing childhood asthma remains unclear.
  • Existing evidence on breastfeeding's protective effect against allergic diseases is inconclusive.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of breastfeeding on asthma development and allergen sensitization in children up to four years old.
  • To analyze the relationship between breastfeeding duration and intensity and the incidence of asthma and allergic sensitization.

Main Methods:

  • A birth cohort study followed 4089 children, collecting breastfeeding exposure data at 2 months and 1 year.
  • Total breast milk dose was calculated from exclusive and partial breastfeeding periods.
  • Asthma and sensitization outcomes were assessed at 1, 2, and 4 years, including clinical investigations and specific IgE analysis.

Main Results:

  • Exclusive breastfeeding for ≥4 months reduced asthma risk by age 4 (OR 0.72).
  • Excluding children with wheeze during lactation strengthened this protective effect (OR 0.64).
  • Combined exclusive (3-4 months) and partial (≥3 months) breastfeeding showed significant asthma risk reduction (OR 0.44).

Conclusions:

  • Breastfeeding demonstrably reduces the risk of asthma in children within the first four years of life.
  • The findings support breastfeeding as a key preventive strategy for childhood asthma.
Abstract

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