Advantages of Breast Milk

Breast milk is more or less sterile. It has been convincingly shown in several studies that the incidence of respiratory infections such as cold and gastrointestinal infections like diarrhea is much less in breast- fed babies. This disease is a leading cause of death and ill-health in late infancy. Mother’s milk contains antibodies against food proteins as also cow’s milk proteins. Such antibodies are useful in blocking absorption of toxic or allergic food materials to which the infant has no local intestinal immune response of his own. Many experts believe that breast milk, if adequate, should be sole source of nutrition during the first 6 to 8 weeks of life. Introduction of foreign proteins, including cow’s milk – remember it – very early in life only hastens and facilities the induction of allergy. Mother’s milk is safe and nearly free from contamination. All that reduces the chances of infection. In contains several anti-microbial factors (agents which resist the invasion) which play an important role in defense against infection in the baby. There is also evidence of presence of antibodies against certain bacteria and viruses, and that includes virus that causes poliomyelitis, the paralysing disease. In short there is no substitution to mother’s milk.