Effect of breastfeeding on infant health

Although breastfeeding is usually beneficial for infants, data are less clear as to the benefit of breastfeeding for infants of women with HIV. Contradictory data on the subject might be explained by a failure of studies to stratify results by the mother's health. Women with very advanced HIV are less likely to carry maternal antibodies, and if they are suffering from malnutrition, their breast milk may be less nutritious as well.

A meta-analysis of six studies investigating the effects of breastfeeding in developing countries found that bottle-fed children had a six-fold greater risk of death from infectious diseases in the first two months of life than did breastfed children.¹ The results strongly indicate that in the absence of feasible and affordable alternative feeding options, longer-term breastfeeding results in better infant health outcomes. 

One recent study looked at the quality of breast milk from HIV-1 infected mothers. The Mashi study group in Botswana compared breastmilk samples of nearly 600 HIV-infected mothers to that of over 135 HIV-uninfected mothers. A matched case-control study looked at over 120 clinical, behavioural, and breast-milk immunologic parameters.  

In the group of HIV-infected mothers, the immunologic profiles of breast milk were intact and breast milk was capable of conferring protection against common infant pathogens.²