Observational study: breastfeeding and natural childbirth may protect against asthma

Conclusion: The study shows that breastfeeding reduces the risk of offspring developing asthma as a child the longer it lasts. Due to the study design, the study cannot prove a causal relationship. However, the researchers suspect that certain components of breast milk are responsible for the protective effect. Various oligosaccharides, immune factors, hormones and growth factors might affect the development of the child’s lungs and immune system.