PEDIATRICS Vol. 85 No. 4 April 1990, pp. 464-471
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rubin, D. H.
Right arrow Articles by Berget, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rubin, D. H.
Right arrow Articles by Berget, A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Relationship Between Infant Feeding and Infectious Illness: A Prospective Study of Infants During the First Year of Life

David H. Rubin MD1, John M. Leventhal MD1, Peter A. Krasilnikoff MD1, H. S. Kuo MD, MPH1, James F. Jekel MD, MPH1, Birgitte Weile MD1, Alice Levee MA1, Matthew Kurzon MS1, and Arne Berget MD1

1 From the Divisions of Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology and Ambulatory Care, Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York; Departments of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut; and Departments of Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynecology, University of Copenhagen, Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark

Prior studies investigating the relationship between infant feeding and infectious illnesses in developed countries have provided conflicting data about whether breast-feeding protects against common infectious illnesses early in life. These conflicts may in part be due to the failure to consider the following methodologic issues: (1) collecting data prospectively at frequent intervals for active surveillance of the detection of infections and of feeding practices, (2) specifying what is meant by infectious illnesses and breast-feeding, (3) controlling for confounding variables such as social class or presence of siblings in the household, and (4) applying appropriate analytical strategies to a population in which both feeding and exposure to illness change over time. A total of 500 infants born consecutively in a university-affiliated community hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, were studied prospectively for the first 12 months of life by means of a detailed, monthly, mailed questionnaire that focused on feeding practices and illnesses (overall response rate, 73%). The percentage of infants who were completely or mostly breast-fed decreased from 88% at 1 month to 20% at 12 months of age. After adjustment for major covariates, no statistically significant relationship was found between the type of infant feeding and the incidence of four categories of infectious illnesses: gastroenteritis, upper respiratory illness, otitis media, and lower respiratory illness. The adjusted incidence density ratio for gastroenteritis was 1.067 (95% confidence interval = 0.982, 1.226) and for upper respiratory illnesses 0.984 (95% confidence interval = 0.883, 1.096). These data suggest there is no substantial protective effect of breast-feeding against the occurrence of infectious illnesses early in life in a largely middle class urban population in a developed country.

Key Words: breast-feeding • feeding practices • gastroenteritis • respiratory illness • otitis media infectious illnesses

Submitted on December 27, 1988
Accepted on July 21, 1989


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 NEJMHome page
F. M. Ducharme, C. Lemire, F. J.D. Noya, G. M. Davis, N. Alos, H. Leblond, C. Savdie, J.-P. Collet, L. Khomenko, G. Rivard, et al.
Preemptive Use of High-Dose Fluticasone for Virus-Induced Wheezing in Young Children
N. Engl. J. Med., January 22, 2009; 360(4): 339 - 353.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Nutr.Home page
E. C. Monterrosa, E. A. Frongillo, E. M. Vasquez-Garibay, E. Romero-Velarde, L. M. Casey, and N. D. Willows
Predominant Breast-Feeding from Birth to Six Months Is Associated with Fewer Gastrointestinal Infections and Increased Risk for Iron Deficiency among Infants
J. Nutr., August 1, 2008; 138(8): 1499 - 1504.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Hum LactHome page
K. Freeman, K. A. Bonuck, and M. Trombley
Breastfeeding and Infant Illness in Low-Income, Minority Women: A Prospective Cohort Study of the Dose-Response Relationship
J Hum Lact, February 1, 2008; 24(1): 14 - 22.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
J. M. Paricio Talayero, M. Lizan-Garcia, A. O. Puime, M. J. B. Muncharaz, B. B. Soto, M. Sanchez-Palomares, L. S. Serrano, and L. L. Rivera
Full Breastfeeding and Hospitalization as a Result of Infections in the First Year of Life
Pediatrics, July 1, 2006; 118(1): e92 - e99.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child.Home page
M A Quigley, P Cumberland, J M Cowden, and L C Rodrigues
How protective is breast feeding against diarrhoeal disease in infants in 1990s England? A case-control study
Arch. Dis. Child., March 1, 2006; 91(3): 245 - 250.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
A. Sinha, J. Madden, D. Ross-Degnan, S. Soumerai, and R. Platt
Reduced Risk of Neonatal Respiratory Infections Among Breastfed Girls but Not Boys
Pediatrics, October 1, 2003; 112(4): e303 - 303.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of HealthHome page
A MacDonald
Is breast best? Is early solid feeding harmful?
Perspectives in Public Health, September 1, 2003; 123(3): 169 - 174.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Clin. Nutr.Home page
M. S Kramer, T. Guo, R. W Platt, Z. Sevkovskaya, I. Dzikovich, J.-P. Collet, S. Shapiro, B. Chalmers, E. Hodnett, I. Vanilovich, et al.
Infant growth and health outcomes associated with 3 compared with 6 mo of exclusive breastfeeding
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, August 1, 2003; 78(2): 291 - 295.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch. Dis. Child.Home page
W H Oddy, P D Sly, N H de Klerk, L I Landau, G E Kendall, P G Holt, and F J Stanley
Breast feeding and respiratory morbidity in infancy: a birth cohort study
Arch. Dis. Child., March 1, 2003; 88(3): 224 - 228.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JAMAHome page
M. S. Kramer, B. Chalmers, E. D. Hodnett, Z. Sevkovskaya, I. Dzikovich, S. Shapiro, J.-P. Collet, I. Vanilovich, I. Mezen, T. Ducruet, et al.
Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT): A Randomized Trial in the Republic of Belarus
JAMA, January 24, 2001; 285(4): 413 - 420.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck SurgHome page
K. J. Kvaerner, P. Nafstad, and J. J. K. Jaakkola
Upper Respiratory Morbidity in Preschool Children: A Cross-sectional Study
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, October 1, 2000; 126(10): 1201 - 1206.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
I. B. Ahluwalia, I. Tessaro, L. M. Grummer-Strawn, C. MacGowan, and S. Benton-Davis
Georgia's Breastfeeding Promotion Program for Low-Income Women
Pediatrics, June 1, 2000; 105(6): 85e - 85.
[Abstract] [Full Text]

Home page
 JNCI J Natl Cancer InstHome page
X. O. Shu, M. S. Linet, M. Steinbuch, W. Q. Wen, J. D. Buckley, J. P. Neglia, J. D. Potter, G. H. Reaman, and L. L. Robison
Breast-Feeding and Risk of Childhood Acute Leukemia
J Natl Cancer Inst, October 20, 1999; 91(20): 1765 - 1772.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
A. L. Wright, M. Bauer, A. Naylor, E. Sutcliffe, and L. Clark
Increasing Breastfeeding Rates to Reduce Infant Illness at the Community Level
Pediatrics, May 1, 1998; 101(5): 837 - 844.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
P. D. Scariati, L. M. Grummer-Strawn, and S. B. Fein
A Longitudinal Analysis of Infant Morbidity and the Extent of Breastfeeding in the United States
Pediatrics, June 1, 1997; 99(6): e5 - e5.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
J. L. Paradise, H. E. Rockette, D. K. Colborn, B. S. Bernard, C. G. Smith, M. Kurs-Lasky, and J. E. Janosky
Otitis Media in 2253 Pittsburgh-Area Infants: Prevalence and Risk Factors During the First Two Years of Life
Pediatrics, March 1, 1997; 99(3): 318 - 333.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 CLIN PEDIATRHome page
C. L. Wagner, D. M. Anderson, and W. B. Pittard
Special Properties of Human Milk
Clinical Pediatrics, June 1, 1996; 35(6): 283 - 293.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J Hum LactHome page
P. J. Martens
A Mini-Lesson in Statistics: What Causes Treatment Groups to be Deemed 'Not Statistically Different'?
J Hum Lact, June 1, 1995; 11(2): 117 - 121.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J Hum LactHome page
D. D. Fredrickson
Breastfeeding Research Priorities, Opportunities, and Study Criteria: What We Learn From the Smoking Trail
J Hum Lact, September 1, 1993; 9(3): 147 - 150.
[PDF]

Home page
 JWatch GeneralHome page
BREAST-FEEDING DOES NOT PROTECT AGAINST INFECTIONS IN DEVELOPED NATIONS
Journal Watch (General), April 13, 1990; 1990(413): 5 - 5.
[Full Text]