Breastfeeding Combats Genetic Tendency for Ear Infections

Approximately one in five children suffer chronic and recurrent ear infections, also known as “otitis media.” Breastfeeding long has been known to boost immune resistance to infection, but scientists recently discovered that breastfeeding is even more important for children who are particularly prone to ear infections.

Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston studied children who were unusually susceptible to ear infections, including children who had an ear infection before the age of six months, had several ear infections within a short period of time, or required drainage tubes. An article in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics reports that the scientists identified two particular genetic variations that make children more likely to suffer from ear infections. The genetic variations, called “single-nucleotide polymorphisms,” stimulate increased production of inflammatory signaling molecules and depress the immune system. The good news is that breastfeeding helps those susceptible children fight infection.

“This is a major finding, that breast-feeding neutralized the effect even in kids who had all the genetic polymorphisms,” Patel said. “Not only that, they were protected from recurrent infections even later in childhood, long after they stopped breast-feeding.”

This study provides all the more reason for mothers to breastfeed and to consider extended breastfeeding, particularly if there is a family history of ear infections or a problem with recurrent ear infections in the nursling. My children have had one or two ear infections each, and instead of wondering why breastfeeding didn’t protect them from those infections, I tell myself, “Thank goodness I’m breastfeeding. Imagine if they had even more ear infections!”

Via Grace, author of Flu Patrol