The benefits of breastfeeding are well established. Breast milk covers all the nutritional needs of the child. It contains antibodies to strengthen its immune system. Very digestible, it is always ready and at the right temperature. Breastfeeding prevents the risk of obesity and reduces the risk of allergies and asthma in children, in particular. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Associationscientists point out that breastfeeding is also favorable to the tension of babies, and whatever the duration.
The doctors relied on data from a cohort conducted in Canada, CHILD. It includes the birth results of 3,000 children between 2009 and 2012. These children were studied between the ages of 0 and 3, allowing scientists to compare the blood pressure of those who had been breastfed and those who had not. over the first three years of life.
Colostrum is enough to have positive effects on blood pressure
They realized that the simple fact of drinking colostrum (which precedes the milk flow) allowed children to stabilize their blood pressure. Non-breastfed children had an average blood pressure of 103/60 mm Hg at the age of 3 years, against 99/58 mm Hg for the others. The study specifies that in general, drinking breast milk as a child is associated with lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease as an adult.
This observation is interesting because it makes it possible to determine the advantages of breastfeeding even over a very short time. That said, mothers are free to choose whether or not to breastfeed, and the outcomes of children who have not are not of concern.
Source: Breastfeeding in the First Days of Life Is Associated With Lower Blood Pressure at 3 Years of Age, JAHA, July 21, 2021
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