《欧洲呼吸杂志》刊登荷兰一项新研究发现，与不吃母乳的孩子相比，纯母乳喂养超过6个月的孩子在儿童时期更少出现哮喘症状。
虽然早期研究发现，母乳喂养与儿童期哮喘发病率降低有关联，但是荷兰鹿特丹Erasmus医学中心科学家完成的这项新研究进一步明确母乳喂养的时间长短与降低哮喘危险有关。比如，母乳喂养时间短，或者不是纯母乳喂养的孩子，到4岁时更可能出现哮喘症状。
这项涉及5000多儿童的新研究调查了这些孩子出生后第一年的喂养方式、是否母乳喂养、吃母乳多长时间、是否及何时添加牛奶和固体食物等。另外还调查了这些孩子1岁至4岁时出现哮喘症状情况。结果发现，与母乳喂养至少6个月的孩子相比，从来不吃母乳的孩子4岁前出现哮喘、气短、干咳或多痰的几率明显更高，仅哮喘和多痰发病率就高出1.5倍。另外，与纯母乳喂养的孩子相比，4个月大之前添加牛奶的孩子日后出现哮喘、气短、干咳和多痰的几率也更高。
新研究负责人阿格尼斯·索伦斯奇恩·沃尔特博士表示，“母乳喂养时间长短以及是否纯母乳喂养与哮喘症状发生几率的关联性”这一结论，独立于与感染性或遗传性过敏性疾病。这项研究也为近来提倡的“母乳喂养至少6个月”健康政策提供了更确凿的科学依据。
生物探索推荐英文摘要：
Duration and exclusiveness of breastfeeding and childhood asthma-related symptoms
Abstract
To examine the associations of breastfeeding duration and exclusiveness with the risks of asthma-related symptoms in preschool children, and to explore whether these associations are explained by atopic or infectious mechanisms.
This study was embedded in a population-based prospective cohort study among 5,368 children. Information on breastfeeding duration, exclusiveness and asthma-related symptoms, including wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough and persistent phlegm, was obtained by questionnaires.
Compared to children who were breastfed for 6 months, those who were never breastfed had overall increased risks of wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough and persistent phlegm during the first four years (Odds ratios 1.44 (95% Confidence Interval: 1.24, 1.66), 1.26 (1.07, 1.48), 1.25 (1.08, 1.44) and 1.57 (1.29, 1.91), respectively) Similar associations were observed for exclusive breastfeeding. The strongest associations per symptom per year were observed for wheezing at 1 and 2 years. Additionally adjusted analyses showed that the associations of breastfeeding with asthma-related symptoms were not explained by eczema but partly by lower respiratory tract infections.
Shorter duration and non-exclusivity of breastfeeding were associated with increased risks of asthma-related symptoms in preschool children. These associations seemed at least partly explained by infectious but not by atopic mechanisms.
