Breastfeeding Research: March-June 2025

(U.S. Breastfeeding Committee)

Breastfeeding Research posts are some of my favorite to write. I just love how science shows how important breastfeeding is to both babies and moms!

Breastfeeding and Health Outcomes for Infants and Children: A Systematic Review

This is an article that looked at 145 studies and 29 existing review articles to determine the impact of breastfeeding on children. The researchers found: “An association indicating a reduced risk from more vs less breastfeeding was apparent for moderate-to-severe respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, otitis media, allergic rhinitis, asthma, malocclusion, inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, rapid weight gain and growth, obesity, high systolic blood pressure, childhood leukemia, and infant mortality.”

Breastfeeding Duration and Child Development

This study found that by breastfeeding exclusively for at least six months, there are fewer delays in language, social and motor development compared to children breastfed less than six months.

Sustained breastfeeding associations with brain structure and cognition from late childhood to early adolescence

This is an article from the journal, Nature, that showed extended breastfeeding has a lasting impact on children - even adolescents! Extended breastfeeding was found to be positively associated with optimal brain development in adolescents. If anyone questions why you are still nursing your older baby or toddler, show them this article!

Breastfeeding: The Multifaceted Impact on Child Development and Maternal Well-Being

This is another fantastic review article! This article confirms that nursing moms are “less likely to suffer from mental health problems and are at a lower risk of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.” Breastfeeding helps with the development of the child’s nervous system and cognitive functions, helps with the regulation of the child’s sleep, is the gold standard in infant nutrition, reduces the risk of allergies and infections, and had many more benefits. I encourage you to take a look at the article!

Written by Gina Peterson