While many of us have likely heard or read that breastfeeding helps our newborns in a variety of ways, new research suggests that women who breastfeed their babies for at least 6 months may be able to help reduce the risk of their child developing asthma during the early years…and not just a little – the chance is lowered by 50%!

Apparently this is not a new idea but previous research had never concluded how long breastfeeding needed to continue for its health benefits to be in full effect. This most recent research, which came from the Netherlands, used surveys to track asthma symptoms in over 5,000 preschool children. After collecting the data, researchers discovered that children who had never been breastfed were more likely to experience mucus build-up as well as wheezing and coughing. (more…)