Breastfeeding exclusively or for a prolonged period does not protect children against developing asthma and allergies, according to the results of a large randomised trial published on bmj.com today.

Whether breastfeeding protects against the development of allergies and asthma has been the subject of numerous studies and a topic of hot debate for the past 70 years. Yet research findings have been conflicting and all the evidence to date has been based on observational studies.

13,889 children were followed up when they reached 6.5 years of age and tested to see if they showed any symptoms of asthma or allergies. This research was carried out between December 2002 and April 2005.

The results indicate that increased breastfeeding did not reduce the risk of asthma, hayfever or eczema at 6.5 years of age despite large increases in the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding.

It also did not succeed in reducing the prevalence of positive skin prick tests.

The researchers conclude that public health measures to increase breastfeeding seem unlikely to have a major impact on reducing the level of hereditary conditions such as asthma or eczema within the population.

They say: “our results underline the importance of seeking other explanations for the recent epidemic of allergy and asthma.” 

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