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Exclusive breastfeeding for a minimum of four months is linked to lower asthma risk and reduced allergic responsiveness from childhood through young adulthood.
Breastfeeding is widely recognized for its nutritional and immunological benefits, yet its lasting influence on asthma and allergy development into adulthood remains insufficiently explored. In this longitudinal investigation, researchers evaluated whether the duration of exclusive breastfeeding influenced the development of asthma and immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitization from early childhood through young adulthood.
The study analyzed data from 3,919 participants enrolled in a Swedish birth cohort. Information regarding exclusive breastfeeding was collected during infancy through parental questionnaires at one year of age. Participants were subsequently followed for asthma outcomes until 24 years of age using repeated questionnaire assessments. Blood samples were obtained at 4, 8, 16, and 24 years for IgE analysis.
They applied longitudinal statistical models using generalized estimating equations to examine associations between breastfeeding duration and long-term respiratory and allergic outcomes. The results showed a significant inverse association between exclusive breastfeeding for at least four months and the risk of asthma and IgE sensitization across multiple age-related outcomes (Table 1).
The findings highlighted exclusive breastfeeding as a potentially important early-life factor associated with healthier respiratory and immune outcomes later in life. Researchers concluded that maintaining exclusive breastfeeding for at least four months may contribute to lowering the risk of persistent childhood asthma and allergic sensitization.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Breast-feeding is inversely associated with asthma and IgE sensitization up to young adulthood
Inger Kull et al.
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