Breastfeeding protects

A REVIEW of breastfeeding research has found the risk of sudden and unexpected infant death more than halved for babies breastfed up to one-year-old and exclusively to six months.

The evidence, published in the latest edition of the Australian Breastfeeding Review, has from Thursday prompted a revision of Australian public health guidelines on safe sleeping to include breastfeeding.

Evidence of the relationship between breastfeeding and sudden and unexpected infant death was now irrefutable, said the chairwoman of the SIDS and Kids Australian scientific advisory group, Jeanine Young.

‘‘We have now reached a point where conclusive evidence from numerous studies demonstrates breast milk can reduce sudden and unexpected death in infancy,’’ said Professor Young, who also authored the latest review of breastfeeding research. It was not clear why breastfeeding was protective against death, she said.

‘‘We think its multifactorial. We know breastfed babies tend to rouse more easily than bottle-fed babies, and because women breastfeed frequently the child is roused – and checked on – every few hours.

‘‘We also know babies that aren’t breastfed get more respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, which is important because about 45 per cent of babies who die suddenly are unwell in the weeks before.’’

Confusion over whether breastfeeding was directly linked to reduced SIDS risk had led to the recommendation being removed from safe-sleeping guidelines in 1997, she said.

‘‘Some people would argue it should never have been taken out of the public health guidelines,’’ she said.