Breastfed babies 'are just as likely to have allergies'

Findings from a trial involving more than 13,000 women and children will dismay campaigners trying to raise Britain's low rates of breastfeeding.

One of the main health claims for breast milk is that it boosts a baby's immune system and can help protect against respiratory infections.

But Canadian researchers found exclusive or prolonged breastfeeding had no effect on asthma and allergy rates when children reached the age of six.

The study is published today in the British Medical Journal online.

Latest figures from the UK show 76 per cent of women start out breastfeeding - up seven per cent from 2000.

But most babies are drinking formula milk within weeks and fewer than half of mothers are breastfeeding by the time their baby is six weeks old.

Only one in four women still breastfeeds some of the time at six months.

The new study involved babies born to mothers in 1996 and 1997, who were split into two groups.

One group had extra help with breastfeeding from staff at hospitals and polyclinics, while the second group followed normal practice.

Within the first group there was a large increase in the number of women breastfeeding exclusively at three months and they breastfed for longer.

At the age of six all the children were tested for asthma and most of them had skin prick tests for allergies to the house dust mite, cats, birch pollen and mixed grasses.

Dr Michael Kramer, who led the research at Montreal Children's Hospital, admitted the issue of whether breastfeeding protected children had been 'hotly debated' for more than 70 years.

But he said: "The results from this large trial indicate experimental intervention to promote breastfeeding did not reduce the risk of asthma, hay fever or eczema at 6.5 years despite large increases in the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding."

He said the findings ran counter to studies showing prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding cut the risk, although more recent evidence even suggested it could push up the chances of asthma and related conditions.

The researchers said public health measures to increase breastfeeding seemed unlikely to have had a major impact on reducing the level of hereditary conditions such as asthma or eczema.

They said: "Our results underline the importance of seeking other explanations for the recent epidemic of allergy and asthma."

A spokesman at the Department of Health said: "Breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for infants and has several health benefits."