Breastfeeding has many health benefits for both mother and child that have been well researched and known. A study from Canada has now found another positive effect – and it is enough for a newborn to be breastfed for just a few days.
The risk of developing cardiovascular disease as an adult may be related to being breastfed as a baby. Canadian scientists have now addressed the question of how long a newborn needs to be fed breast milk to experience significant health benefits from breastfeeding.
Health benefits of breastfeeding regardless of breastfeeding duration
If a newborn gets breast milk in its first few days of life, it already has a clear advantage over a non-breastfed baby three years later: lower blood pressure. This is the result of the so-called CHILD study (CHILD stands for Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development), for which researchers from various universities in Canada worked together.
The authors write that the «benefits of sustained and exclusive breastfeeding are undisputed.» Additionally, their study results would indicate «that any breastfeeding, regardless of duration or exclusivity, is associated with lower blood pressure at three years of age.»
The study
2,382 children took part in the study. Breastfeeding data came from the hospital and the mothers. 2,333 infants (97.9 percent) were therefore breastfed. 98 (4 percent) of them received breast milk only for the first few days of life during the hospital stay. 78 percent of breastfed infants were breastfed for six months or longer, and 62 percent received breast milk exclusively for at least three months. 49 babies were never breastfed.
Blood pressure was measured in all children at the age of three. In addition, there were analyzes of birth weight, gestational age, socioeconomic status, maternal body mass index, and other potential confounders. In their study, the authors write that the non-breastfeeding mothers were younger on average, smoked more often and had fewer high school degrees. Child characteristics at birth, length of hospital stay, height, and BMI at three years were similar for all children.
According to the study authors, the comparison showed that the blood pressure of the three-year-olds who had not been breastfed was higher than that of the children who were breastfed. This health benefit was independent of how long a baby was breastfed (whether just a few days after birth or for several months) or potential confounders.
Also interesting: foods that you should (not) eat if you have high blood pressure
Researchers emphasize the importance of starting breastfeeding early
«These early subclinical differences may have long-term health implications,» the authors write. Even a slightly elevated blood pressure in childhood can affect how susceptible the adult is to high blood pressure later on. This is because blood pressure runs from early childhood to adulthood. Accordingly, according to the authors, breastfeeding can have a positive impact on cardiovascular health.
«Despite the observational nature of our results, they emphasize the importance of starting breastfeeding early,» the study states. This applies «even if exclusive or prolonged breastfeeding is not possible». In addition, the authors caution, «These results underscore the need for immediate postpartum lactation support in the clinical setting to facilitate colostrum delivery and breastfeeding initiation.»
Also interesting: 5 things that can make breastfeeding easier for mothers
classification of the study
According to the authors, breastfeeding provides important nutrients and bioactive factors that can have a positive effect on cardiovascular development. At the same time, the data on the connection between breastfeeding and blood pressure is contradictory. Two earlier and differently structured meta-analyses also came to the conclusion that breastfeeding has health benefits, since «blood pressure was consistently lower in breastfed individuals». In contrast, in a more recent and larger meta-analysis of 43 studies, researchers found «no consistent long-term association between breastfeeding and blood pressure.»