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The benefits of breast-feeding are many and varied . Studies suggest that breast-fed kids are smarter, taller, thinner, healthier and less stressed than babies on bottles . Plus , breast-feeding helps moms bond with their babies and may even lower their blood pressure. So, is there anything breast milk can't do? Apparently , yes, according to a new study published Tuesday by BMJ Online: It doesn't offer infants much defense against asthma or allergies .

That's a question researchers have long debated . Until now , the evidence has been mixed : Some studies have suggested that exclusive, prolonged breast-feeding helps stave off asthma and allergies later in life; other studies have shown no protection, or even an increased risk. But most of the available data has come from observational studies . The new BMJ paper, in contrast, was a large, long-term randomized trial that involved more than 17,000 breast-feeding women and babies, 13,889 of whom were tracked until age 6 1/2. Researchers recruited the moms in maternity hospitals and clinics in Belarus. About half of them — those who had already begun breast-feeding — were encouraged to continue breast-feeding exclusively ; the control group got no such extra urging .

Researchers report that women in the intervention group breast-fed significantly longer than women in the control group: at three months, 73% of the intervention group was breast-feeding, compared with 60% of the control group, and the number of women breast-feeding exclusively was seven times higher. By a year after birth, rates of breast-feeding had dropped across the board; but still, 20% of the intervention group was breast-feeding versus 11% of the controls.

When the infants were about 6 1/2 years old, researchers followed up with standard questionnaires about asthma, hay fever and eczema . Rates of each condition were similar in both groups. In general, about 10% of the children had ever suffered wheezing in their lives, though less than 1.5% had had full-blown asthma. Roughly 3% to 5% had had hay fever , and about 1% had suffered bouts of eczema . Researchers also performed skin-prick tests on the children; again , there was no significant difference between incidence of allergy — to dust mites, cats, pollen, grass and Alternaria, a common fungus — between the groups. In the breast-fed group, about 9% were allergic to pollen and Alternaria, 12% to cats and grass and 15% to dust mites. Absolute rates of all allergies were slightly lower in the control group, but the variations weren't statistically relevant.

The BMJ study is "to our knowledge.. the largest randomized trial ever done in the area of human lactation ," write the study's authors. But it's not likely to be the last. Science will continue to debate the discrete pros and cons of breast-feeding, but doctors unanimously agree that breast, in general, is best for babies' health, growth and development. Mothers should breast-feed newborns for at least 12 months — and exclusively for at least 6 months — according to AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics guidelines.

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The benefits of breast-feeding are many and varied .

 

breast-fed kids

babies on bottles

 

Plus ,

again ,

 

bond with

verb
join firmly
~ (A and B) (together)
~ (A) to B to join two things firmly together; to join firmly to sth else: [VN] This new glue bonds a variety of surfaces in seconds. ◆ It cannot be used to bond wood to metal. ◆ [V] The atoms bond together to form a molecule.
develop relationship
~ (with sb) to develop or create a relationship of trust and affection with sb: Mothers who are depressed sometimes fail to bond with their children. [also VN]

 

Apparently

 

So, is there anything breast milk can't do? Apparently , yes, according to a new study published Tuesday by BMJ Online: It doesn't offer infants much defense against asthma or allergies .

asthma a medical condition of the chest that makes breathing difficult: a severe asthma attack

allergy  [ ˈælədʒi ] (plural allergies) ~ (to sth) a medical condition that causes you to react badly or feel ill when you eat or touch a particular substance: I have an allergy to animal hair. ◆ Hay fever is caused by an allergy to pollen.

 

That's a question researchers have long debated .

 

evidence---- mixed

 

stave off  stave sth<->off (staved, staved) to prevent sth bad from affecting you for a period of time; to delay sb/sth: to stave off hunger / illness / inflation / bankruptcy ◆ The company managed to stave off bankruptcy for another few months.

 

observational studies

 

randomize to use a method in an experiment, a piece of research, etc. that gives every item an equal chance of being considered; to put things in a RANDOM order

 

maternity  the state of being or becoming a mother

 

continue breast-feeding exclusively ad. 专门地，排除其他地

 

got no such extra urging

 

intervention Intervention is the act of intervening in a situation. n. 介入，干涉，干预

 

20% of the intervention group was breast-feeding versus 11% of the controls.

follow up with If you follow up something that has been said, suggested, or discovered, you try to find out more about it or take action about it

standard questionnaires

hay [ hei ] n. 干草 fever  an illness that affects the nose, eyes and throat and is caused by POLLEN from plants that is breathed in from the air 枯草热 , 花草气喘 , 花粉病

eczema   a skin condition in which areas of skin become red, rough and sore 湿疹

 

wheeze  verb to breathe noisily and with difficulty

 

full-blown [only before noun] having all the characteristics of sb/sth; fully developed

 

Roughly 3% to 5% had had hay fever

Roughly—about

 

bouts of eczema

bout bout ~ (of sth / of doing sth) a short period of great activity; a short period during which there is a lot of a particular thing, usually sth unpleasant:

 

significant difference

 

Absolute rates of all allergies were slightly lower in the control group, but the variations weren't statistically relevant [ ˈreləvənt ] .

 

lactation Lactation is the production of milk by women and female mammals during the period after they give birth

 

unanimously  [ ju: ˈnæniməsli ] ad. 一致同意的

unanimous