Understanding the evidence for and against the role of breastfeeding in allergy prevention

Abstract

The relationship between breastfeeding and allergic disease risk has been controversial. This article reviews the current evidence for the role of breastfeeding in the prevention of allergic disease. We found considerable methodological limitations inherent in most studies evaluating the effect of breastfeeding in allergic disease. Nevertheless, since randomized control trials in breast feeding research would be considered unethical, the evidence remains limited to poorer quality observational studies where participation and recall bias can severely affect the objectivity of the data collected. Furthermore, reporting of type of breastfeeding (exclusive, full or partial) may be biased by a pa..