Babies born prematurely grow 'stronger hearts' as adults if breastfed, reveal experts

BABIES born prematurely grow stronger hearts if they are breastfed rather than bottlefed, researchers have revealed.



Experts have found breastfeeding can improve heart health of premature babies

A study found that adults who were born early had reduced heart volumes and function compared with those who were not.

But the damage was significantly less in those who as infants had been fed exclusively on breastmilk.

Individuals who had received a combination of feeding methods, heart structure and function improved the more breastmilk they were given.

Lead scientist Dr Adam Lewandowski, from Oxford University, said: "Even the best baby formula lacks some of the growth factors, enzymes and antibodies that breastmilk provides to developing babies.

Bottlefeeding a babyGETTY

Breastfeeding improves heart development better than bottlefeeding, say experts


The heart changes are thought to emerge in the first few months after birth.

The Oxford team, whose findings appear in the journal Pediatrics, already had data on more than 900 adults who had taken part in a study of different feeding regimes in pre-term infants.

Of those, 102 men and women now in their early to mid-twenties were invited to take part in a more detailed heart study.

They were compared with another group of 102 people who had not been born prematurely.

Professor Russell Viner, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: "This is an exciting piece of research which adds to the wide-ranging benefits that are already known about breastmilk.

"For premature babies, who are born before they are physically ready for life outside the womb, breastmilk is incredibly important.

“It protects an already vulnerable baby from infections and leads to a range of later beneficial effects on the brain, blood pressure and bone strength.”

Woman breastfeedingGETTY

Research has previously claimed a chemical passed from mother to child could help protect babies

"This research suggests that the benefits also extend to improved development of the heart."

Last year the report women who do not breastfeed their babies could be putting them at increased risk of autism.

The research found breastfeeding could boost social behaviour in children born with a genetic predisposition to autism.

The findings suggest that a chemical passed from mother to child in breast milk could help protect babies from the behavioural disorder.

Breastfeeding has also been found to boost babies' IQ and reduce the risk of infections, obesity - and even cancer.