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Breast-feeding reduces acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and acute otitis media (AOM) during infancy. To examine the effect of breast-feeding on frequency and severity of common infections in a well-vaccinated infant population, researchers prospectively followed 926 mother-infant pairs in Crete for 1 year. Common infections were defined as AOM, ARI, urinary tract infection, conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, and thrush. The researchers enrolled consecutive infants who were born on randomly selected days from October to December 2004 and April to July 2005.
Infants who were exclusively breast-fed for at least 6 months were less likely to present with infections or to be hospitalized for infections than non–breast-fed or partially breast-fed …