Breast milk reduce the risk of sudden infant death

June 15, 2011 by: Jane category: children and baby's health

Evidence that breast milk has high efficiency is that it is able to prevent the potential deaths due to the sudden death of the infant or SID. A study shows that breastfeeding provides a shield for the baby against risk.

"Breastfeeding is the best method to give the babies," said Dr. Fern Hauck, senior researcher at the school of the University of Virgnia of medicine in Charlottesville, in accordance with the Pediatrics online.

The phenomenon of sudden death (SID) in infants can not be explained. Usually, these deaths occur when babies are sleeping and occur in less than a year old infants, especially four months old infants. According to the National Institutes of Health of United States, Sid kills more than 2,500 babies to the United States each year.

Said Hauck theory causes SID is because the baby sleeps with their face or his head covered, not to turn their head, or cry as more babies and dies slowly. World Health Organization recommends that mothers breastfeed their babies for the first six months of their lives.

Hauck and other researchers combine their study of mothers and babies who died and did not die and he combined with the other 18 studies of breastfeeding. The result showed that the rate of SIDS are 60% lower for babies who consumed milk than those who do not. And more than 70% lower in infants who have breastfed exclusively - without any formula milk - for any period of time. "Breast milk helps protect babies of sudden death," he concludes.

Although they have not found the exact cause, they simply believe the relationship of breastfeeding with SID. "We found a protective effect even after the factors that might explain the link," said Hauck.