Study: Breastfeeding May Prevent a Chronic Skin Condition in Kids

Children who were breastfed exclusively for the first few months of their lives were less likely to develop eczema, according to a study.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 1,500 kids in the US. The results show by the time they were 6 years old, 300 of the kids had been diagnosed with eczema at some point in their lives. And about 6 in 10 of those kids developed the chronic skin condition by the age of 6. Kids from wealthier families and those with a history of food allergies were more likely to have been diagnosed with eczema by 6 years old, the study notes.

With that in mind, researchers say kids who were exclusively breastfed for at least three months were only 48 percent as likely to have continued eczema at age 6, compared with those who were nursed for less than three months or who were never breastfed.

Scientists aren’t fully convinced that exclusively breastfeeding a child prevents eczema, but they think it could at least lead to less frequent flare-ups.

“The evidence that being exclusively breastfed protects children from developing eczema later in life remains mixed,” study author Katherine Balas says in a Children’s National news release. "Our research team is trying to help fill that data gap.”

There are a ton of benefits for babies who are breastfed, like boosting their immune system, maintaining a healthy weight and improving brain development, to name a few. But keep in mind nursing may not work for everyone, and that’s okay too. At the end of the day, all that matters is baby is fed.

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