Breastfeeding for a longer duration increases risk of iron deficiency in babies, a new study reveals.
In a cross-sectional study conducted on 1,647 children aged between one and 6 years, researchers found that there was significant connection between extended breastfeeding and decreasing iron levels in the child.
The study showed that for each month the baby is breastfed, iron deficiency increases by 4.8 percent. The research also revealed that children who had been breastfed for an year or longer were 70 percent likely to be iron-deficient.
"Our findings highlight a clinically important association warranting additional investigation, which may inform future guideline updates regarding assessment of risk for iron deficiency in young infants," lead author Jonathon L Maguire, MD and his colleagues wrote in the study.
Breast milk is beneficial for a baby and has all the required nutrients needed by a newborn. The finding of the study in no way say that breastfeeding is bad but only that its duration should be short. Generally health experts advise new mothers to typically breastfeed for the first three months.
The Guardian Express reported that health experts even suggest that if the mother is comfortable with it, babies can be breastfed for six months. Breast milk is soft on the baby's stomach and leads to less colic.
