Is formula just as good as breastfeeding?
When we do not give human milk to babies it leads to many health problems. We understand that not everyone is able to breastfeed. But with more funding for lactation consultants, parental leave, workplace breastfeeding policies--and human milk banks--more women could breastfeed and more babies could have human milk. This would improve health for both babies and mothers.
A failure to optimally breastfeed leads to an estimated 3,340 deaths per year in the United States according to researchers (Bartick, Jegier et al. 2017). "For every 597 women who optimally breastfeed, one maternal or child death is prevented."
According to researchers (Victora, Bahl et al. 2016), if we increased breastfeeeding to 95% for infants less than 1 month old, to 90% for infants less than 6 months old (exclusive breastfeeding), and 90% for children 6-23 months (partial breastfeeding), we could "prevent 823,000 annual deaths in children younger than 5 years and 20,000 annual deaths from breast cancer" in addition to preventing deaths from other diseases. The World Health Organization has a very helpful paper that explains the list of diseases caused by not breastfeeding as well.
| 3.3 - 20 times | more likely to get | necrotizing enterocolitis | Bartick, Jegier et al. 2017; Colchero et al. 2015; Lucas & Cole, 1990 |
| 8.7 times | more likely to | die from an infection | Sankar et al. 2015 |
| 2.1 - 3.7 times | more likely to die from | SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) | Hauck et al. 2011; McVea, Turner & Peppler, 2000 |
| 1.4 times | more likely to get | hospitalized | Ajetunmobi et al. 2015 |
| 1.8 times | more likely to get | upper respiratory infections | Raheem et al. 2017 |
| 2 times | more likely to get | severe rotavirus | Bautista-Marquez et al. 2016 |
| 1.6 - 2.1 times | more likely to become | overweight or obese | Pluymen et al. 2019; Hawley et al. 2014 |
| 1.7 - 5 times | more likely to get | ear infections | Bartick, Schwarz et al. 2017; Duncan et al. 1993; Scariati et al. 1997; and Dewey et al. 1995 |
| 1.5 - 4 times | more likely to get | asthma | Huo et al. 2018, Sonnenschein-van der Voort et al. 2011, Wright et al. 2001; and Ratageri et al. 2000 |
| 2-19 times | more likely to get | diarrhea | Gizaw et al. 2017; Raheem et al. 2017; Howie et al. 1990; Scariati et al. 1997; and Dewey et al. 1995 |
| 1.5 - 3 times | more likely to get | Insulin dependent diabetes | Lund-Blix et al. 2019; Gerstein, 1994; Virtanen et al. 1991; Virtanen et al. 1992; Verge et al. 1994 |
| 2.6 - 4 times | more likely to get | lymphoma | Bener, Hoffmann et al. 2008; Bener, Denic & Galadari, 2001 |
| 16% - 23% | more likely to get | leukemia | Amitay & Keinan-Boker, 2015 |
| 2-8 points | lower | on their IQ tests | Horta et al. 2018; Kim et al. 2017; Victora, Horta et al. 2015; Drane & Logemann, 2000 |
| 1.4 - 3 times | more likely to develop | breast cancer | Chowdry et al. 2015; Tryggvadottir et al. 2001 |
| 1.6 times | more likely to develop | ovarian cancer | Chowdry et al. 2015 |
| 15% - 47% | more likely to get | diabetes, type 2 | Chowdry et al. 2015; Stuebe et al. 2005 |
Also see our other breastfeeding articles:
Managing breastfeeding latch, nipple pain, redness, yeast infections and baby's jaundice
How often should I breastfeed my baby?
Is pumping just as good as breastfeeding directly?
Sources
Two very important papers first:
Victora CG, Bahl R, Barros AJD, França GVA, Horton S, Krasevec J et al. "Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect." The Lancet January 30, 2016 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01024-7.
World Health Organization, Breastfeeding in the 21st century. 2016. www.who.int/pmnch/media/news/2016/breastfeeding_brief.pdf
Other sources alphabetized
Ajetunmobi OM, Whyte B, Chalmers J, Tappin DM, Wolfson L, Fleming M, MacDonald A, Wood R, Stockton DL. Breastfeeding is associated with reduced childhood hospitalization: evidence from a Scottish Birth Cohort (1997-2009). Glasgow Centre for Population Health Breastfeeding Project Steering Group. J Pediatr 2015 Mar;166(3):620-5.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.11.013. Epub 2014 Dec 30.
Amitay EL & Keinan-Boker L. Breastfeeding and Childhood Leukemia Incidence: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review. JAMA Pediatrics. 2015 Jun;169(6):e151025. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1025. Epub 2015 Jun 1.
Bartick MC, Jegier BJ, Green BD, Schwarz EB, Reinhold AG, Stuebe AM. Disparities in Breastfeeding: Impact on Maternal and Child Health Outcomes and Costs. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2017 Feb;181:49-55.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.10.028. Epub 2016 Nov 10.
Bartick MC, Schwarz EB, Green BD, Jegier BJ, Reinhold AG, Colaizy TT, Bogen DL, Schaefer AJ, Stuebe AM. Suboptimal breastfeeding in the United States: Maternal and pediatric health outcomes and costs. Maternal & Child Nutrition. 2017 Jan;13(1). doi: 10.1111/mcn.12366. Epub 2016 Sep 19.
Bauer, G., Ewald, L. S., Hoffman, J. & Dubanoski, R. (1991). Breastfeeding and cognitive development of three-year-old children. Psychological Reports, 68 (3 Pt 2), 1218.
Bautista-Marquez A, Velasquez DE, Esparza-Aguilar M, Luna-Cruz M, Ruiz-Moran T, Sugata K, Jiang B, Parashar U, Patel M, Richardson V.Breastfeeding linked to the reduction of both rotavirus shedding and IgA levels after Rotarix® immunization in Mexican infants.. Vaccine. 2016 Oct 17;34(44):5284-5289. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.09.006. Epub 2016 Sep 20.
Bener A, Hoffmann GF, Afify Z, Rasul K, Tewfik I. Does prolonged breastfeeding reduce the risk for childhood leukemia and lymphomas? Minerva Pediatrica. 2008 Apr;60(2):155-61.
Bener, A., Denic, S. & Galadari, S. (2001). Longer breast-feeding and protection against childhood leukaemia and lymphomas. European Journal of Cancer, 37 (2), 234-238.
Chowdhury R, Sinha B, Sankar MJ, Taneja S, Bhandari N, Rollins N, Bahl R, Martines J. Breastfeeding and maternal health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Paediatrica 2015 Dec;104(467):96-113. doi: 10.1111/apa.13102.
Colchero MA, Contreras-Loya D, Lopez-Gatell H, González de Cosío T. The costs of inadequate breastfeeding of infants in Mexico. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015 Mar;101(3):579-86. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.092775. Epub 2015 Jan 7.
Dewey, K. G., Heinig, M. J., Nommsen-Rivers, L. A. (1995). Differences in morbidity between breast-fed and formula-fed infants. The Journal of Pediatrics, 126 (5 Pt 1), 696-702.
Drane D. L. & Logemann J. A. (2000). A critical evaluation of the evidence on the association between type of infant feeding and cognitive development. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 14 (4), 349-356.
Duncan, B., Ey, J., Holberg, C. J., Wright, A. L., Martinez F. D. & Taussig, L. M. (1993). Exclusive breast-feeding for at least 4 months protects against otitis media. Pediatrics, 91 (5), 867-872.
Gerstein, H. C. (1994). Cow's milk exposure and type I diabetes mellitus. A critical overview of the clinical literature. Diabetes care, 17 (1), 13-19.
Gizaw Z, Woldu W, Bitew BD. Child feeding practices and diarrheal disease among children less than two years of age of the nomadic people in Hadaleala District, Afar Region, Northeast Ethiopia. International Breastfeed Journal. 2017 Jun 5;12:24. doi: 10.1186/s13006-017-0115-z. eCollection 2017.
Hauck FR, Thompson JM, Tanabe KO, Moon RY, Vennemann MM. Breastfeeding and reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2011 Jul;128(1):103-10. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-3000. Epub 2011 Jun 13.
Hawley NL, Johnson W, Nu'usolia O, McGarvey ST. The contribution of feeding mode to obesogenic growth trajectories in American Samoan infants. Pediatric Obesity. 2014 Feb;9(1):e1-e13. doi: 10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00137.x. Epub 2013 Feb 5.
Horta BL, de Sousa BA, de Mola CL. Breastfeeding and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care. 2018 May;21(3):174-178. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000453.
Howie, P. W., Forsyth, J. S., Ogston, S. A., Clark, A. & Florey, C. D. (1990). Protective effect of breast feeding against infection. British Medical Journal, 300 (6716), 11-16.
Huo X, Chu S, Hua L, Bao Y, Du L, Xu J, Zhang J. The effect of breastfeeding on the risk of asthma in high-risk children: a case-control study in Shanghai, China. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Aug 23;18(1):341. doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-1936-5.
Kim JI, Kim BN, Kim JW, Hong SB, Shin MS, Yoo HJ, Cho SC. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. 2017 Jul 19;11:36. doi: 10.1186/s13034-017-0169-0. eCollection 2017. Breastfeeding is associated with enhanced learning abilities in school-aged children.
Lucas A., & Cole T. J. (1990). Breast milk and neonatal necrotising enterocolitis. Lancet, 336 (8730): 1519-1523. McVea, K. L., Turner, P.D., Peppler, D. K. (2000) The role of breastfeeding in sudden infant death syndrome. Journal of Human Lactation, 16 (1), 13-20.
Lund-Blix NA, Dydensborg Sander S, Størdal K, Nybo Andersen AM, Rønningen KS, Joner G, Skrivarhaug T, Njølstad PR, Husby S, Stene LC. Infant Feeding and Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in Two Large Scandinavian Birth Cohorts. Diabetes Care. 2017 Jul;40(7):920-927. doi: 10.2337/dc17-0016. Epub 2017 May 9.
Pluymen LPM, Wijga AH, Gehring U, Koppelman GH, Smit HA, van Rossem L. Breastfeeding and cardiometabolic markers at age 12: a population-based birth cohort study. International Journal of Obesity (Lond). 2019 Aug;43(8):1568-1577. doi: 10.1038/s41366-018-0317-5. Epub 2019 Mar 18.
Raheem RA, Binns CW, & Chih HJ. Protective effects of breastfeeding against acute respiratory tract infections and diarrhoea: Findings of a cohort study. Journal of Paediatric Child Health. 2017 Mar;53(3):271-276. doi: 10.1111/jpc.13480. Epub 2017 Jan 30.
Ratageri, V. H., Kabra, S. K., Dwivedi, S. N., & Seth, V. (2000). Factors associated with severe asthma. Indian Pediatrics, 37 (10), 1072-1082.
Rollins NC, Bhandari N, Hajeebhoy MHS, Horton S, Lutter CK, Martines JC, Piwoz EG, Richter, LM, Victora CG. Lancet Breastfeeding Series: Why invest, and what it will take to improve breastfeeding practices in less than a generation. Lancet 2016; 387: 491–504.
Sankar MJ, Sinha B, Chowdhury R, Bhandari N, Taneja S, Martines J, Bahl R. Optimal breastfeeding practices and infant and child mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Paediatrica. 2015 Dec;104(467):3-13. doi: 10.1111/apa.13147
Scariati, P. D., Grummer-Strawn, L. M. & Fein, S. B. (1997). A longitudinal analysis of infant morbidity and the extent of breastfeeding in the United States. Pediatrics, 99 (6), E5.
Sciacca, J. P., Phipps, B. L., Dube, D. A. & Ratliff, M. I. (1995) Influences on breast-feeding by lower-income women: an incentive-based, partner-supported educational program. Journal of the American Dietetic Association [abstract], 95 (3), 323-328.
Sonnenschein-van der Voort, A. M. M., Jaddoe, V. V. W., van der Valk, R. J. P., Willemsen, S. P., Hofman, A., Moll, H. A., de Jongste, J. C., Duijts, L. Duration and exclusiveness of breastfeeding and childhood asthma-related symptoms. European Respiratory Journal, 2011; DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00178110
Stuebe, Alison M., Rich-Edwards, Janet W., Willett, Walter C., Manson, JoAnn E., Michels, Karin B., Duration of Lactation and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2005;294(20):2601-2610. doi:10.1001/jama.294.20.2601
Tryggvadottir L, Tulinius H, Eyfjord JE, Sigurvinsson T. (2001) Breastfeeding and reduced risk of breast cancer in an Icelandic cohort study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 154 (1), 37-42.
Verge, C. F., Howard, N. J., Irwig, L., Simpson, J. M., Mackerras, D. & Silink, M. (1994). Environmental factors in childhood IDDM. A population-based, case-control study. Diabetes Care, 17 (12), 1381-1389.
Victora CG, Bahl R, Barros AJ, França GV, Horton S, Krasevec J, Murch S, Sankar MJ, Walker N, Rollins NC. Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect. Lancet. 2016 Jan 30;387(10017):475-90. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01024-7.
Victora CG, Horta BL, Loret de Mola C, Quevedo L, Pinheiro RT, Gigante DP, Gonçalves H, Barros FC. Association between breastfeeding and intelligence, educational attainment, and income at 30 years of age: a prospective birth cohort study from Brazil. Lancet Global Health. 2015 Apr;3(4):e199-205. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(15)70002-1.
Virtanen, S. M., Rasanen, L., Aro, A., Lindstrom, J., Sippola, H., Lounamaa, R., Toivanen, L., Tuomilehto, J. & Akerblom, H. K. (1991). Infant feeding in Finnish children less than 7 yr of age with newly diagnosed IDDM. Diabetes Care, 14 (5), 415-417.
Virtanen, S. M., Rasanen, L., Aro, A., Ylonen, K., Lounamaa, R., Tuomilehto, J. & Akerblom, H. K. (1992). Feeding in infancy and the risk of type 1 diabetes mellitus in Finnish children. Diabetic Medicine, 9 (9), 815-819.
Wright, A. L., Holberg, C. J., Taussig L. M., Martinez, F. D. (2001). Factors influencing the relation of infant feeding to asthma and recurrent wheeze in childhood. Thorax, 56 (3), 192-197.
Also see our other breastfeeding articles:
How often should I breastfeed my baby?
Is pumping just as good as breastfeeding directly?
Notes on getting a good latch, newborn jaundice, nipple infections
Author: Sandy Summers, RN, MSN, MPH, biography
The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Board Members or Advisory Panel of The Truth About Nursing.
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