Breast-feeding protects against infection in Indian infants.

A retrospective study was undertaken at two isolated Manitoba Indian communities to determine whether the type of infant feeding was related to infection during the first year of life. Of 158 infants 28 were fully breast-fed, 58 initially breast-fed and then changed to bottle-feeding and 72 fully bottle-fed. Fully bottle-fed infants were hospitalized with infectious diseases 10 times more often and spent 10 times more days in hospital during the first year of life than fully breast-fed infants. Diagnoses were mainly lower respiratory tract infection and gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis occurred in only one breast-fed infant. Breast-feeding was strongly protective against severe infection requiring hospital admission and also against minor infection. The protective effect, which lasted even after breast-feeding was discontinued, was independent of family size, overcrowding in the home, family income and education of the parents. Measures to achieve breast-feeding for virtually all infants, particularly in northern communities, should be given high priority.