Due to reasons such as breastfeeding pain, cracked nipples, work requirements, and sleep schedules, some mothers no longer breastfeed their children or switch to formula or other diets at an early age.
However, you may miss out on these benefits of breastfeeding as a result.
Breastfeeding helps prevent gastrointestinal diseases in babies.
Breastfeeding provides infants with the nutrition they need for development, enhances their immunity, promotes the development of their teeth and facial features, and strengthens the bond between mother and child. For mothers, it can promote uterine recovery, delay the return of menstruation and ovulation, thereby reducing the risk of breast cancer.
A recent study published in Nature also indicates that breastfeeding can prevent neonatal enteroviruses!
It is important to know that the largest human microbiome (including bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.) is located in the gut.
Early life gut microbiota dysbiosis can lead to disorders in digestion, metabolism, immunity, and neurodevelopment.
As a special group, infants' microbiome changes daily and is easily affected by external factors, with breastfeeding being one of them.
To verify this, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania studied hundreds of infants.
Researchers used advanced genome sequencing and other methods to measure the amount and type of virus in a newborn’s first and subsequent bowel movements.
Studies have found that colonization of the infant enterovirus genome occurs gradually.
First, a mild bacteriophage is induced by a precursor bacteriophage, and then the virus gradually replicates in human cells.
The second stage is regulated by breastfeeding. Even a small amount of breast milk can strongly influence the viral population in the infant's gut and play a protective role.
We all know that breast milk is rich in prebiotic oligosaccharides, which can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, support the function of the mucosal barrier, and regulate immune and inflammatory responses.
This finding further expands upon previous research, demonstrating that breastfeeding plays a crucial role in the microbial environment of infants.
This latest research may influence strategies for early prevention of gastrointestinal diseases and encourage mothers to breastfeed, or even if they are to feed their babies formula, it is best to mix it with breast milk.
It is important to note that the introduction of formula milk may disrupt this colonization process, diminish the benefits of breastfeeding, and lead to the colonization of more potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Healthy newborns are usually born without viruses in their intestines, but they quickly become a breeding ground for viruses.
Within the first month, the populations of viruses and bacteria will develop very well, with the number of viruses reaching 1 billion per gram of intestinal contents.
Four months later, the virus can replicate in human cells, and the potentially pathogenic virus can be clearly detected in the infant's feces. Breastfeeding has a strong protective effect, inhibiting the accumulation of potentially pathogenic viruses.
Another conclusion of this study is that breast milk can provide protection even when sometimes mixed with formula compared to a purely formula-fed diet.
These findings can help us better understand why some babies are prone to illness and fatal infections in the first few months after birth.
In addition, such findings also vary geographically. This may be due to the different types and quantities of microorganisms that infants are exposed to in their environment.
Nevertheless, babies born in Botswana can still benefit from breastfeeding, whether exclusively breastfed or formula-fed.
Is that the end?
Breastfeeding reduces the risk of ovarian cancer in mothers.
In addition to Nature, another authoritative journal, JAMA Oncology, also provided solid evidence that breastfeeding reduces the risk of ovarian cancer.
With the rapid development of modern medicine, conquering and curing many cancers is no longer a challenge.
However, ovarian cancer, as a cancer that seriously threatens women's lives and health, has a low mortality rate and a low five-year survival rate because it is difficult to detect early.
Is there anything that can reverse this situation?
For cervical cancer, HPV prevention is key to reducing its incidence and mortality, while for ovarian cancer, apart from oral contraceptives, other methods seem to have little effect.
Previous studies have shown that breastfeeding may also be a controllable factor influencing the development of ovarian cancer.
This study included 13 case-control studies and conducted a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between breastfeeding and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.
After multivariate adjustment, overall, breastfeeding reduced the risk of invasive tumors by 24% (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.71–0.80) and the risk of borderline tumors by 28% (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.64–0.81). Breastfeeding was negatively associated with both.
In invasive tumors, breastfeeding was statistically significantly associated with high-grade serous carcinoma (OR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.70–0.81), endometrioid carcinoma (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.64–0.84), and clear cell carcinoma (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64–0.96).
Don't understand all these technical terms?
In short, breastfeeding can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, and it also protects against high-grade serous carcinoma, the most severe subtype of ovarian cancer.
The research results provide us with concrete data showing that, compared to mothers who have never breastfed, exclusive breastfeeding for at least 3 months and mixed feeding for 3 months both reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
Moreover, the longer the breastfeeding period, the better the effect. Of course, we should not choose not to wean just because we cannot resist the temptation of the "benefits".
This benefit can last for decades; the seeds sown in youth will yield benefits in old age. Although this benefit diminishes over time, it is better to have it than nothing, which perfectly aligns with our inner desires.
Some might say: You've already mentioned all the benefits, so why don't you explain why?
Well, the biological mechanisms by which breastfeeding reduces the risk of ovarian cancer are not yet clear.
To date, scholars believe that ovulation is suppressed during breastfeeding, effectively "shutting down" the ovaries and reducing estrogen secretion, thus lowering the risk of cancer. Regardless of the reasons, we should simply pursue anything that's good for our health.
Having heard about the benefits mentioned above, if we have the means, what reason do we have to refuse breastfeeding?
I'm putting down my phone; I need to go breastfeed.
The above content is exclusively authorized for use only and may not be reproduced without the copyright holder's authorization.
