Little known benefits of breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is very beneficial for mom and baby - this is a fact. In this article, we will not repeat the well-known things, but rather tell you about the beneficial effects of breastfeeding, which were revealed relatively recently based on the results of studies in 2016-2017.

At one time, even pediatricians recommended artificial feeding, but those days are long gone. Now all doctors are of the same opinion: there is no healthier food for a baby than mother's breast milk. Breastfeeding brings invaluable benefits to the woman herself, while there are very few objective reasons for refusing it.

At one time, a lot has been said about the fact that mother's milk is rich in nutrients, vitamins, protective antibodies that a child needs. It has been proven that this is the best food for a newborn; a lot has been said about strengthening the psychological bond between a woman and a baby during breastfeeding, although the manufacturers of artificial mixtures tried with all their might to refute this. But what else is breastfeeding so good for? The answers to this question will pleasantly surprise you.

Improving child behavior

In June 2016, scientists made an unexpected conclusion: long-term breastfeeding (provided that it is not combined with supplementary feeding and complementary feeding) positively affects the behavior of the child in the future, making him more calm and obedient.

The study was conducted in South Africa, where scientists analyzed the development of 1,500 children. It turned out that children who were exclusively breastfed up to 6 months of age, at the age of 7-11, pleased their parents with exemplary behavior. They caused adults to blush 56% less often compared to babies who were breastfed for less than 1 month.

According to scientists, it is possible that such a large difference will provoke many long-term consequences. After all, children who misbehave often have low self-esteem and poor performance in school. As they reach adolescence, they are more likely to show a tendency to antisocial behavior, violations of the law, and mental disorders.

Of course, breastfeeding cannot be called the only, and perhaps even the main factor on which the behavior and character of the child in the future depends. Nevertheless, he plays a certain role here.

Treating asthma symptoms

Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting children. However, its causes are still not fully understood. At the moment, it is known that some babies have a genetic predisposition to the disease: a variation of the gene on the 17th chromosome can become a fatal factor. Swiss scientists in September 2016 made a discovery: it turns out that breastfeeding helps in the treatment of symptoms of bronchial asthma.

Data from 368 newborns were carefully analyzed. All babies were genetically tested, and the researchers asked their mothers to keep a lactation diary, marking the days when the children developed respiratory symptoms.

As a result, it turned out that babies with an altered gene on chromosome 17 on the days of breastfeeding reduced the risk of asthma symptoms by 27%. So far, scientists cannot explain exactly how mother's milk helps prevent an asthmatic attack, but perhaps this will become known later, as it is planned to continue research in this area.

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Reducing the risk of stroke

Breastfeeding is beneficial for both the baby and his mother. This was once again proved by the results of a study in China, which was conducted in the summer of 2017. Scientists have found that breastfeeding helps women reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and stroke in the future.

An analysis of the data of 289,573 Chinese women showed that those who breastfeed were then 8% less likely to have a stroke and 9% less often - heart and vascular diseases. For women who continued breastfeeding for 2 years or more, the risks decreased by 17% and 18%, respectively.

According to scientists, such results are due to the fact that lactation helps to utilize the fatty tissue accumulated during pregnancy. It literally renews the entire metabolism in the body. The health benefits of nursing mothers are also brought by the fact that they have to lead a "correct" lifestyle, more closely monitor the quality of their nutrition and give up bad habits.

Prevention of multiple sclerosis

This disease can be confused with atherosclerosis due to the similarity of the names. Only multiple sclerosis is a more serious pathology. It develops against the background of "wrong" reactions of the immune system, leading to the destruction of myelin - the sheath of the nerve, which ensures the normal conduction of nerve impulses. As a result, various neurological disorders are formed. Since scientists have not yet found an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis, the disease gradually progresses, making a person disabled.

While atherosclerosis mainly affects the elderly, middle-aged women are more susceptible to multiple sclerosis. The results of a study released in July 2017 indicate that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of developing the disease.

Scientists studied 433 healthy women and 397 patients with multiple sclerosis. All of them filled out questionnaires, answering questions about pregnancy and lactation. It found that those who breastfed for at least 15 months had a 53% lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis than women who breastfed for only 4 months or less. It is worth noting that the result turned out to be cumulative: 15 months could be "divided" into feeding two or more babies, but even in such cases, the protective effect persisted.

How and why lactation helps a mother avoid multiple sclerosis, scientists themselves do not yet understand. It is hoped that future research will help find the answers.

Relief of pain after cesarean section

In 2017, Spanish scientists studied the factors influencing the onset of pain after cesarean section. They interviewed 185 young mothers who underwent this operation in the period 2015-2016. The researchers asked the women to tell about the pain they felt one day after the operative delivery, three days later, and 4 months later.

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The participants were also asked to fill out questionnaires, in which, among other things, it was necessary to answer questions about lactation. It turned out that mothers who were breastfeeding for at least 2 months were worried about chronic pain 3 times less often.

Formation of the correct microflora in the intestines of the child

The intestinal microflora of the baby begins to form from the moment he is born. In 2017, Los Angeles scientists decided to test the role of breastfeeding in this process, and conducted the largest study to examine this issue. As a result, it was possible to establish that 30% of beneficial microorganisms that live in the large intestine, the baby receives through breast milk, and another 10% from the skin of her mother's breast. In addition, breastfeeding continues to promote the growth of the correct microflora even when the grown child begins to be transferred to solid foods.

The results of this study became very important as they helped to better understand how the intestinal microflora of the newborn is formed and how this process can be influenced.