Normal neonates are equipped with a limited immunocompetence, therefore they need breast milk (BM), which represent an excellent immune protection
for the neonate during the critical period of intestinal vulnerability, due to a great variety of functionally interactive immunological, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating factors. Evidence suggests that the protection afforded by human milk to the recipient infant is greatest when breast-feeding is exclusive and of substantial duration. In this update of an old topic, we shall review its main role in atopy prevention as an introduction to the immunological and non immunological components of BM and colostrum, and the spectrum and mechanisms of the protection of host defenses. Accordingly, we analyzed the propensity for breastfeeding in 289 children with respiratory disease and in 300 control children. The net result is that a high proportion of atopic children (273/289) were breastfed from their mothers and for a longer period of time.
Author(s): Arnaldo Cantani