The benefits of breastfeeding go beyond basic nutrition and it is recommended by pediatricians, nutritionists, doctors, health
organizations and also by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Different mammals make different milk – human milk has been made for human infants and meets all their specific nutrient needs.
For how long should a mother breastfeed her child? Reports
indicate that while more mothers are breastfeeding, they aren’t
breastfeeding for very long¹.
Research has shown that duration matters. The longer a child is breastfed the better the visual acuity at 1 year of age². And visual acuity is the best non-invasive method of
determining the level of brain
development.
Here’s how visual acuity is affected by the duration of breastfeeding.
*Please note that this is a simplified visual demo only intended to aid in the understanding of the
subject matter.
The World Health Organization recommends feeding your baby exclusively with breast milk for 6 months³. This should be followed by continued breastfeeding and the timely introduction of adequate, safe and appropriate complementary foods.
Duration of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids availability in the diet and visual acuity
Dr. Sarah E. Morale, Ph.D., and team determined the relationship between duration of DHA and ARA supply and visual acuity. It was found that a longer duration of breast-feeding was associated with better visual acuity on average at 1 year of age.
Read the full abstract of this research paper here.
Optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding
Dr. Yanina Sguassero undertook a WHO review to present it as practical actions for clinicians and policy-makers to take to improve health outcomes for children. The review recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months, followed by a combination of continued breastfeeding and safe, appropriate and adequate feeding with other foods4.
Read the full review here.
Morale SE, et al. Duration of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids availability in the diet and visual acuity.
Early Hum Dev (2005); 81:197-203.
3.
“World Health Organization (WHO) International Child Growth Standards, 2006.” Australian Breastfeeding Association. Updated October 16, 2006. http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/whochart.html.
Accessed May 28, 2008.
4.
Sguassero Y. Optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding: RHL commentary (last revised: 28 March 2008). The WHO Reproductive Health Library; Geneva: World Health Organization.
