Sarah Khatkhatay, SK Somaiya Vidhyadhar
There is a reason why breast milk is known as “liquid gold”- it is an incredible substance that nourishes, adapts, and protects the baby against illness. It is one of the most fruitful ways to ensure child health and survival. Breastmilk proves to be an ideal food for infants as it is safe, clean, and contains antibodies. It provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant requires for the first few months of life. However, nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended period of 6 months. Exclusive breastfeeding meant breast milk only and without any formula or solid food or fluids since birth.
Association of breastfeeding with lower cardiovascular diseases:
The prevalence of hypertension is increasing drastically worldwide. A growing body of evidence suggests risk factors for poor cardiovascular health which include high blood pressure, trackback from childhood to adulthood and are influenced by early life exposures. Early life nutrition is associated with the risk of hypertension in adulthood. The critical nutrients benefitted from breastfeeding have a huge impact on cardiovascular development during early life. Studies from developed and developing countries show that blood pressure was consistently lower among individuals who had been breastfed.
Colostrum is especially rich in growth factors, immunological components, and stem cells which are extremely beneficial to new-borns and only found in human breast milk.
Canadian CHILD Cohort Study:
A study of over 3,000 children, born between 2009-2012 was conducted and has been followed ever since to understand the early life experiences that shape health and development. The infant feeding information was collected and analysed from hospital records for nearly 2,400 children. Out of these children, 98% were breastfed to some extent. 4% of them received early limited breastfeeding, which is breastfeeding during the hospital stay. Only 2% out of all the children in the study were not breastfed at all. Among the breastfed children were 78% who were breastfed for 6 months or even more. 62% were exclusively breastfed for a minimum of 3 months. The mothers who never breastfed were slightly younger, more likely to smoke during the pregnancy period, and less likely to have a post-secondary degree in comparison with mothers who breastfed briefly or beyond.
Results:
At the age of three, children who were never breastfed (2%) had higher blood pressure. An average of 103/60 mm Hg. In contrast, the children who were breastfed for any duration had comparatively lower blood pressure. An average of 99/58 mm Hg. Blood pressure of infants who received just limited early breastfeeding while in the hospitals as new-borns were also low (99/57 mm Hg). The average blood pressure was found to be lower in breastfed children irrespective of their body mass index at age 3 and even their mothers’ social and health factors.
Interpretation of the results:
Even a brief period of breastfeeding is beneficial for cardiovascular outcomes such as blood pressure. Colostrum is a key factor in shaping the developmental processes during the initial new-born period. Further investigation is required to examine the bioactive components of colostrum, how they influence cardiovascular development, and determine their long-term association with cardiovascular health. It is extremely important for doctors and public health policymakers to educate new mothers about breastfeeding and offering immediate postpartum lactation support. Short-term savings from not providing in-hospital breastfeeding and discharging mothers too early could greatly exceed the long-term costs from reduced cardiovascular health later in life. A drawback of this study was its observational design which does not allow researchers to confirm a cause-and-effect relationship between breastfeeding and blood pressure. Only a single blood pressure measurement was collected rather than taking the average of at least two measurements. This limited the comparisons.
While a further detailed investigation is necessary for understanding the mechanisms responsible for the positive impact of early breastfeeding on blood pressure in young children, this study should be highly appreciated as it identifies a modifiable factor that has the potential to improve child health.
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References:
- Miliku, K., Moraes, T. J., Becker, A. B., Mandhane, P. J., Sears, M. R., Turvey, S. E., Subbarao, P., & Azad, M. B. (n.d.). Breastfeeding in the first days of life is associated with lower blood pressure at 3 years of age. Journal of the American Heart Association, 0(0), e019067. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.120.019067
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