New Study Finds Breastfeeding Linked to Reduced Odds of Infant Deaths in the US

BFUSA would like to bring to your attention a study recently published in Lancet by Li et al., which adds to the substantial and ever-growing evidence of the benefits of breastfeeding.

While there is substantial evidence demonstrating the benefits of breastfeeding in reducing infant and child mortality in the developing world, limited research has been conducted in the United States to assess the association of breastfeeding with infant mortality. The authors of “Breastfeeding and Post-perinatal Infant Deaths in the United States, A National Prospective Cohort Analysis” sought to close that knowledge gap.

The authors analyzed linked birth−death certificates for 3,230,500 US births that occurred in 2017, including 6,969 post-perinatal deaths, to explore possible associations of ever breastfeeding with post-perinatal deaths and specific causes of deaths.

Their research found a 26% reduction in odds for overall post-perinatal deaths from 7 to 364 days associated with the initiation of breastfeeding, indicating that breastfeeding initiation is significantly associated with reduced odds of post-perinatal infant deaths in multiple racial and ethnic groups within the US population. The authors suggest these findings support efforts to improve breastfeeding as part of infant mortality reduction initiatives.

You can read the study HERE.