The time a mother spends breast-feeding her child has no impact on the development of allergy sensitization in children at high risk for developing allergies, according to recent study results.

“Our thorough analyses have shown no effect of breast-feeding on the development of sensitization. This is contrary to the general opinion and current health recommendations,” Ea Cecilie Jelding-Dannemand, MSc, of the University of Copenhagen, and colleagues wrote. “This perception of breast-feeding as an important protection against allergy might cause mothers of children who are at high risk of allergy-associated diseases to feel guilty and distressed if they are not able to breast-feed exclusively for the recommended period of time.”

The researchers analyzed the data of 335 children from the Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood 2000 birth cohort from August 1998 to December 2001. The children were born to mothers with a history of asthma.  The researchers’ objective was to assess the effects of the duration of exclusive breast-feeding on the development of sensitization in preschool children.

Researchers observed no link between duration of breast-feeding and sensitization at 7 years based on skin prick test responses or specific immunoglobulin E levels during the study period. There also was no relation between duration of exclusive breast-feeding and outcomes in children aged 7 years such as eczema, asthma, and allergic rhinitis.

“This information should be communicated to the public, moderating the general recommendation of breast-feeding based on the lack of evidence for any protective effect against allergy in at-risk children,” the researchers wrote. From the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – Jelding-Dannemand E, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015;doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2015.02.023.

Dr. Kenneth Backman of Allergy & Asthma Care comments: “While the many benefits of breast-feeding are well-known, there has been conflicting evidence of its effects on the development of allergies in infants. This study is reassuring in that it shows that duration of breast-feeding is not related to the subsequent development of allergies. For many reasons, it is best if mothers  breastfeed for up to a year if possible, but they should not feel that they have increased their child’s risk of allergies if they must stop nursing sooner.”