Breast milk protects babies from mild infections and women
who can breastfeed should do so at least some of the time, a study
says. The more breast milk consumed, the less likely a baby will
develop ear infection or diarrhea in the first seven months of
life compared to infants fed formula, said researchers at the
National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
"When compared with exclusively breastfed infants, infants
who received formula only had an 80% increase in their risk of
developing diarrhea and a 70% increase in their risk of developing
an ear infection", said the study, published by the journal
Pediatrics. (Edmonton Journal June 7, 1997)