Breastfeeding Helps Premature Babies Hearts Grow Stronger

The hearts of premature babies are smaller than full-term babies. Breastfeeding premature babies improves heart structure and function, says a new study.

The study conducted by a team of Oxford researchers found that adults who were born early had reduced heart volumes and function compared with those who were not. However, the damage was significantly less in those who as infants had been breastfed.

Importance of Breast Feeding-Stages-Advantages-Benefits-Storage-FAQs
From antibodies, to the exclusive nutrients, the benefits of breastfeeding are incalculable.

‘Premature babies had reduced heart volumes and function compared to those born at term. But the damage was less in those who had been exclusively breastfed than those fed formula milk.’

Tweet it Now

For those who had received a combination of feeding methods, heart structure and function improved the more they were given.

The researchers looked at 102 adults who had been enrolled in a study of premature babies in 1982 to check how their hearts had developed. They also recruited extra 102 people who were born preterm for comparison.

The study showed that those who had been breastfed had ventricles which were 10 percent larger than bottle-fed babies. The hearts of breastfed babies also beat more strongly.

Nutrient Needs in Lactation
Inadequacies in a lactating mother’s diet influences both the quantity and quality of milk secreted, although the effect in quantity is more profound.

“Even the best baby formula lacks some of the growth factors, enzymes, and antibodies that breast milk provides to developing babies,” said Dr Adam Lewandowski and colleagues at the Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility.

“These results show that even in people whose premature birth has inevitably affected their development, breastfeeding may be able to improve heart development.”

Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign Initiated In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan
In K-P 48% of children and 58% of children in tribal areas are stunted. Around 24% of the children in K-P and 14% in the tribal areas are underweight.

Professor Russell Viner, from the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, said, "This is an exciting piece of research which adds to the wide-ranging benefits that are already known about breast milk. For premature babies, who are born before they are physically ready for life outside the womb, breast milk is incredibly important. It protects an already vulnerable baby from infections and leads to a range of later beneficial effects on the brain, blood pressure, and bone strength.”

"This research suggests that the benefits also extend to improved development of the heart."

Breastfeeding Reduces Risk of Fatty Liver Disease in Child
Normal pre-pregnancy BMI reduce risk of adolescent liver disease by a half and breastfeeding for at least six months reduced the risk by a third.

Previous studies have shown that babies who were breastfed for at least 12 months have higher IQs than those breastfed for under a month.

The new results were published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Source-Medindia