IMPORTANCE OF BREAST MILK IN IMMUNE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS

Dr. Jagdish Dubal*

ABSTRACT

It has observed in day to day clinical practice, that morbidity or mortality due to intestinal infections, was higher for formula fed than of breast fed infants. In 1934, a report on 20,000 mother infant dyads in the U S, found that morbidity or mortality due to intestinal infections, was higher for non breast fed infants than for breast fed infants. Many pediatricians and health care nurses actively advocated infant food formula to infant in 1950s and later. This was due to availability of better and improved artificial infant formulas, coupled with improved hygiene, better weight gain, and dramatic reduction in infant mortality rate, many of them thought that this relationship was no longer relevant. However, the studies in many countries; showed that artificially fed infants were at higher risk of disease, especially diarrhea and respiratory infections. Carefully designed studies in developed nations, suggested a significantly lower risk of diseases in breast fed infants, relative to those artificially fed. All these suggest that, the best of the infant’s food formulas are lacking in protective and immune modulator activities that are present in human breast milk.

Keywords: Breast, diarrhea, infant, hygiene.