When it comes to providing natural immunity from disease and allergies, specifically milk allergies, nothing beats breast milk. Mother’s milk confers natural protection against gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, which can themselves aggravate and act as adjuvants in the development of allergies. Breast milk naturally protects against allergies.
Sticking to mother’s milk exclusively in the first six months of your baby’s life avoids exposing your baby to other food allergens until her digestive system has matured enough to properly digest other foods. While it is uncertain whether this will prevent the development of food allergies later on in life, it certainly reduces the risk of problems with food allergy occurring in the crucial period of your baby’s development.
• Breast milk has natural hypoallergenic protein; it contains fewer allergens and is less likely to cause allergies. Compared with cow’s milk, which contains 360 million nanograms per ounce of the allergy-inducing protein fragment ß-lactoglobulin, breast milk only has 32 nanograms per liter of the protein. In terms of allergenic potential, just 40 ml of cow’s milk is equivalent to one liter of mother’s milk taken every day for 21 years.
• Breast milk promotes oral tolerance through residual food allergens from the mother’s diet. Since the allergens in the mother’s diet can sometimes be passed on to the baby, it may sometimes be necessary to limit the allergens in your own diet. However, these same allergens can slowly sensitize your baby’s immune system until it learns to recognize food proteins taken by mouth as harmless.
• Breast milk confers protection. Breastfeeding passes on to your baby natural immuno-active factors–microorganisms such as bifidus and other specific antibodies. These so-called probiotics and immunoglobulins add extra strength to the immune system and help in the digestion of food bits and the absorption of food nutrients. Bifidus forms a protective layer in your baby’s digestive tract that prevents harmful bacteria from attacking it.
