Breastfeeding more babies for longer could save the global economy some $300 billion in a single year, simply by yielding smarter and higher-earning offspring, researchers said Friday.<\/p>\n
It would also prevent more than 800,000 child deaths, and about 20,000 breast cancer deaths every year.<\/p>\n
\u201cBreastfeeding saves lives and money in all countries, rich and poor alike,\u201d said Cesar Victora from the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil, one of the authors of a research series published by The Lancet medical journal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a widespread misconception that the benefits of breastfeeding only relate to poor countries. Nothing could be further from the truth,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The findings were based on analysis of 28 scientific reviews and meta-analyses that looked at the proven health and economic benefits of breastfeeding.<\/p>\n
The authors said this was the largest and most detailed analysis of its kind ever done.<\/p>\n
It concluded that breastfeeding led to a \u201cdramatic\u201d improvement in life expectancy.<\/p>\n
In high-income countries, it reduced the risk of sudden infant deaths by more than a third.<\/p>\n
In low-and middle-income countries, it could prevent about half of diarrhoea episodes and a third of respiratory infections.<\/p>\n
Altogether, about 800,000 children\u2019s lives could be saved every year \u2014 the equivalent of about 13 percent of all deaths in children under two.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also increases intelligence,\u201d said the statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cModelling conducted for the series estimates that global economic losses of lower cognition from not breastfeeding reached a staggering $302 billion (276 billion euros) in 2012.\u201d<\/p>\n
This was about half a percent of the world\u2019s gross national income.<\/p>\n
Last year, a study in The Lancet Global Health journal said breastfeeding led to increased adult intelligence, longer schooling and higher adult earnings, regardless of family background.<\/p>\n
That research had tracked the development of 3,500 people in Brazil over 30 years from birth.<\/p>\n
The new series said boosting breastfeeding rates for children under six months to 90 percent in the United States, China and Brazil, and to 45 percent in Britain, would dramatically cut treatment costs of common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and asthma.<\/p>\n
In the US, the saving would be $2.45 billion, in Britain $29.5 million, in China $223.6 million and in Brazil $6 million.<\/p>\n
For women, longer breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, the study authors said, and estimated that some 20,000 women\u2019s deaths could be prevented per year.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Rates are low \u2013<\/p>\n
Yet, one in five children in high-income countries are breastfed to 12 months, and one in three in low- and middle-income countries are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives.<\/p>\n
In Britain, about one percent of children are breastfed until the age of one, in Ireland about two percent and in Denmark three percent \u2014 among the lowest rates in the world.<\/p>\n
Breastfeeding is much more common in poor countries.<\/p>\n
Breast milk is free, nutritious and protective against disease, but not always practical for women who cannot be on call around the clock.<\/p>\n
In some societies, it is frowned upon to breastfeed in public.<\/p>\n
And in some cases, it can be dangerous \u2014 breastfeeding can pass on the HIV virus that causes AIDS from infected mothers to their children.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently, breastfeeding promotion focuses on encouraging women to breastfeed without providing the necessary economic and social conditions such as supportive healthcare systems, adequate maternity entitlements and workplace interventions, counselling and education,\u201d said co-author Nigel Rollins from the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n
Another problem was \u201caggressive marketing\u201d of breast milk substitutes \u2014 with global sales set to reach $70.6 billion by 2019.<\/p>\n
The researchers called for political commitment and financial investment to make it easier for women to breastfeed, and tighter regulation of the breast milk substitute industry.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Breastfeeding more babies for longer could save the global economy some $300 billion in a single year, simply by yielding smarter and higher-earning offspring, researchers said Friday. It would also prevent more than 800,000 child deaths, and about 20,000 breast cancer deaths every year. \u201cBreastfeeding saves lives and money in all countries, rich and poor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19,1565,11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n