A new study supported by BC Children’s Hospital suggests that breastfeeding can protect babies from the risk of developing asthma due to antibiotics use, as breast milk helps to keep the infant’s gut microbiome—the environment of bacteria and other microorganisms in the digestive tract—balanced.
The study, published in the journal Med on Jan. 4, found that children who were not breastfed and who required antibiotics in the first 12 months of life had three times the risk of developing asthma.
Asthma is the most common chronic, non-contagious childhood disease, affecting about 14 percent of children globally, the study said, adding that it is the leading reason for pediatric emergency room visits and can result in lifelong poor lung health….