No Evidence That Breast-Feeding Prevents Eczema

Many parents who breast-feed believe it can boost a child’s immunity, protecting against a number of allergies. But that widely held belief has not always been borne out in studies. Now, researchers in Britain have found that breast-feeding may not protect infants against developing eczema and other allergic diseases.

Even among children who had been breast-fed for six months or longer, there was no evidence that breast-feeding prevented eczema or limited its severity. The results were the same for children whose mothers had a history of allergy and for those who had a positive reaction to the allergens used in the skin-prick test.

The researchers were careful to point out that their findings were not a reason for mothers to avoid breast-feeding — only an indication that not all of the reputed benefits were backed by evidence. Read the full report, Breast-Feeding Does Not Prevent Eczema, and then please join the discussion below.