Breastfeeding is among the major practices promoted by the World Health Organisation to improve the well-being of children and foster their optimal development.
For maximum impact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that women exclusively breastfeed for six months.
Thereafter, they are required to supplement the milk with other healthy diets, while breastfeeding until the age of two years.
Research shows breast milk contains all the nutrients an infant needs in the first six months of life.
It offers protection against diarrhoea and common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, especially when the infant receives colostrum (or first milk), which is rich in immune boosters.
Breast milk also has long-term health impacts such as reducing the risk of being overweight and developing obesity in childhood and adolescence.
New research also indicates that the milk can also play a key role in preventing children from developing type 1 diabetes.
A new study published in the EbioMedicine Journal indicates that longer breastfeeding and later introduction to gluten in children’s diet could help reduce the risk of the disease.
During the study, researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden analysed available studies on the links between the diets of mothers and their children, during infancy and childhood, and the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
The results of the study showed that for babies nursed for at least six to 12 months, the risk of developing type 1 diabetes was 61 percent lower than in other babies.
In addition, babies who had been introduced to gluten at three to six months of age were 64 percent less likely to develop type 1 diabetes than those who were introduced to gluten earlier.
Gluten is found in grains, mainly wheat, which is used to make many types of food, including bread, cakes, chapati and mandazi.
In some people, consuming gluten triggers an abnormal immune system response that causes an ailment known as celiac disease, which is linked to type 1 diabetes. Past studies have also shown that gluten may harm insulin-producing beta cells that play a significant role in preventing the disease.
“With this study, we have tried to decipher which dietary factors with strong or moderate evidence may be linked to risk of type 1 diabetes. Our analysis suggests that there are reasons to look closer at the protective effects of breastfeeding on type 1 diabetes as well as the importance of later introduction to gluten,” said Sofia Carlsson, senior author of the study from the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, based in Sweden.
Aside from its benefits to children, studies also show that breastfeeding can help mothers to tackle gestational diabetes which usually happens during late pregnancy, in some women who develop blood sugar levels that are too high even though they did not have diabetes before getting pregnant.
Those who develop this condition, are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Health experts note that breastfeeding helps the body to process glucose and insulin better, hence minimising the chances of the mother getting the disease.
These benefits are experienced in higher magnitudes by mothers who breastfeed their children longer.
Nevertheless, doctors recommend that aside from just breastfeeding, women can embrace lifestyle interventions such as exercising during pregnancy and after birth to prevent weight gain that usually predisposes many to type 2 diabetes.
At work
It is also important to embrace diets of vegetables, fruits and whole grains while avoiding processed foods such as potato chips, cakes and cookies.
For mothers to sustain breastfeeding for the duration recommended by the WHO, doctors note that they should aim at having their newborns latch on their breast and begin suckling immediately after delivery.
Having skin-to-skin contact with the child, drinking plenty of fluids, as well as avoiding stressful situations also help to guarantee the continuous supply of breastmilk by the mother, which the child relies on.
The Ministry of Health has also been advocating for favourable work policies that encourage mothers to breastfeed at work or express breast milk that the child can use while at home.
Statistics from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey show that about 40 percent of Kenyan children are not exclusively breastfed for the initial six months of their lives as recommended by the WHO.
Supporting mothers to effectively breastfeed can enhance the well-being of child and mother.
