The
association between bottle feeding and multiple sclerosis was investigated in a
case-control study by the Pediatrics Department at the University of Naples, Italy.
Patients with multiple sclerosis were less likely than controls to have been breastfed for
a prolonged period of time. Cow's milk contains lower amounts of unsaturated fatty acids,
and a different composition of cortex grey matter has been described in bottle fed infants. This fact could be associated by means of the formation of defective membranes with easier
entry of an infective agent across the blood-brain barrier or with accelerated degradation
of myelin itself.
Human milk might actively influence the immune system of the offspring
by different mechanisms, and some features of the immune response among those who have
been breastfed for a prolonged period may last for a long time.
In the study, 93 cases and 93 controls were enrolled. Cases were all patients who had a
definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis; controls were people who matched the cases in
terms of age and gender. The groups were contacted by two interviewers who were
blind to the objective of the study. Whenever possible the mothers of the patients were
interviewed, otherwise the patients provided information about their infant feeding,
usually quoting their mothers. The mean duration of breastfeeding was 8.4 months for the
cases and 12.5 months for the controls.
Alfredo Pisacane,
Nicola Impagliatzo et al Dipartimento di Pediatri,
Universira di Napoli,
Fen'co II,Via Pansini 5. 80131
Naples, Italy
Breastfeeding also provides some form of protection
against Cancer, Heart Disease,
Hodgkins and Crohn's Disease, Juv. Diabetes, Juv. Rheumatoid Arthritis and more.
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