Hanyang Med Rev.  2010 Feb;30(1):49-59. 10.7599/hmr.2010.30.1.49.

Effects of Breastfeeding on the Development of Allergies

• Lee HB

• KMID: 2053733
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7599/hmr.2010.30.1.49

Abstract

Breastfeeding has many positive nutritional and other benefits that influence the maturation of the gastrointestinal mucosa and microflora of the newborn infants. Furthermore, there is evidence that exclusive breastfeeding in the first 4 months protects against atopic dermatitis and early wheezing in infancy, and immunomodulatory reactions of human milk contributes to the reduction of allergic diseases. Some conflicting reports suggest that breastfeeding provides risk for asthma development if there is a positive family history of allergy. Nevertheless breastfeeding is thought to be associated with a lower asthma risk in young children. Consequently exclusive breastfeeding is highly recommended for all infants at both high and low risk of atopy and irrespective of atopic maternal history for at least 4 to 6 months. For the prevention of allergies, however, exclusion of highly allergenic foods such as peanut and eggs from the maternal diet in the sensitized atopic mother during lactation and supply of extensively hydrolyzed food for the high risk infants is necessary.

Keyword

Breastfeeding; Allergy; Atopic disease; Infants

MeSH Terms

Asthma
Breast Feeding
Child
Dermatitis, Atopic
Diet
Eggs
Female
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Lactation
Milk, Human
Mothers
Mucous Membrane
Ovum
Respiratory Sounds

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Several factors modify the primary immune response encountered early in life involving the T cell response.(From Friedman NJ and Zeiger RZ: Prevention and natural history of food allergy. In: Leung DYM, Sampson HA, Geha RS, Szefler SJ, eds. Pediatric allergy, principles and practice, Mosby, Inc. St. Louis 2003. p. 496).

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  Fig. 2 Adjusted associations between breast feeding (>16 weeks vs no breast feeding) and asthma at 3-8 years of age in the total population (n=3115). (From Scholtens S, Wijga AH, Brunekreef B, et al. Breast feeding, parental allergy and asthma in children followed for 8 years. The PIAMA birth cohort study. Thorax 2009;64:604-9).

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  Fig. 3 Adjusted associations between breast feeding (>16 weeks vs no breast feeding) and asthma at 3-8 years of age in children of (A) non-allergic mothers (n=2238) and (B) allergic mothers (n=877).(From Scholtens S, Wijga AH, Brunekreef B, et al. Breast feeding, parental allergy and asthma in children followed for 8 years. The PIAMA birth cohort study. Thorax 2009;64:604-9).

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