EAT FOR HEALTH Australian Dietary Guidelines

EAT FOR HEALTH – AusTRALiAn diETARy guidELinEs

92

Guideline 4

4.2.3 Cardiovascular disease and excess weight

•   Blood pressure: There is probable evidence that infants who are breastfed exclusively in the first few months

of life have a lower adult systolic and diastolic blood pressure (approximately 1.5/0.5 mmHg) compared with

those who are formula-fed (Grade B; Evidence Report, Section 23.1).

•   Total and LDL cholesterol: Recent evidence suggests that being breastfed initially, and particularly exclusively

breastfed, is associated with lower total and lDl concentrations in adult life when compared with being

formula-fed (Grade C; Evidence Report, Section 23.1).

•   Excess weight: There is convincing evidence that compared with being formula-fed, being breastfed is associated

with reduced risk of infants becoming obese in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood (Grade A; Evidence

Report, Section 17.2). The protection offered by breastfeeding appears to increase with duration of breastfeeding

and plateaus at 9 months.900,901

Evidence of an association between the age of introduction of solid foods and risk of overweight in children

younger than age 7 years is inconclusive (Evidence Report, Section 19.1).

4.2.4 Other benefits

•   Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): There is evidence to suggest that breastfeeding reduces the risk

of SIDS (Grade C; Evidence Report, Section 23.4).

•   Gastrointestinal infection: There is probable evidence that infants who are exclusively breastfed for

6 months experience less morbidity from gastrointestinal infection than those who are mixed breastfed as

of age 3–4 months (Grade B; Evidence Report, Section 23.2). Factors in breast milk such as secretory IgA,

oligosaccharides and lactoferrin may protect the infant from various infections through passive immunity.^657

•   Asthma: Recent evidence suggests an association between breastfeeding and lower incidence of asthma

(Grade C; Evidence Report, Section 23.3). Data from the longitudinal Study of Australian Children suggest a

strong and significant protective effect of breastfeeding on wheezing and asthma in infancy, which increases

with increasing breastfeeding duration.

•   Atopic disease: Recent evidence also suggests an association between breastfeeding and protection against

atopic disease (Grade C; Evidence Report, Section 23.3).

•   Lactational amenorrhea: There is probable evidence that women who exclusively breastfeed for 6 months

experience more prolonged lactational amenorrhea, with a delay in the return of fertility (Grade B; Evidence

Report, Section 23.2), which may be a benefit for some women. lactational amenorrhoea is a commonly

used form of contraception.902-904

•   Allergy: The evidence for an association between a delay in introduction of solid foods until after the age of

6 months and risk of developing allergic syndromes is inconclusive (Evidence Report, Section 19.2).

•   Other benefits for infants: Additional benefits for infants who are breastfed compared with those who are

formula-fed, in both developed and developing countries,874,905 may include:

• protection against respiratory infection and reduced prevalence of asthma^906


• reduced occurrence and recurrence of otitis media^905


• protection against neonatal necrotising enterocolitits, bacteraemia-meningitis and urinary tractinfection874,907


• reduced risk of autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes^905


• lower rates of coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis^908


• improved visual acuity, psychomotor development and cognitive development880,909


• reduced malocclusion as a result of better jaw shape and development^910


• improved mother and infant bonding and attachment.9 11