(NaturalPath) According to a study published in the journal, The Lancet, if breastfeeding were increased worldwide then more than 800,000 child deaths and 20,000 deaths from breast cancer could be prevented each year. The story cites a stat that just one in five children in high-income countries is breastfed to 12 months. That ratio jumps to only one in three when dealing with children in low and middle-income countries, who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months. Those babies aren’t receiving the full benefits of breastfeeding and the impact seems to be widespread.
The researchers estimate that if breastfeeding were increased to near-universal levels for infants and young children that more than 800,000 children would be saved, which ends up being 13 percent of all deaths in children under two. Additionally, this increase would potentially prevent the aforementioned deaths from breast cancer each year.
This study makes the case that the benefits of breastfeeding relate only to the poorest countries in the world, but beneficial for all countries.
For more information, read the full study.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160129090120.htm
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01024-7/abstract
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
