Exclusive breastfeeding for at least four months was linked to lower odds of asthma and Immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitization through age 24 in a Swedish birth cohort, according to a longitudinal analysis that suggests early feeding may shape allergic outcomes well into young adulthood. The association was strongest during childhood and appears most relevant to asthma that begins before adolescence rather than asthma that starts later in life.
Researchers analyzed data from 3,919 participants with breastfeeding information collected by age one year. Asthma outcomes were assessed by questionnaire through age 24, and IgE — the antibody commonly measured to detect allergic sensitization — was tested at ages 4, 8, 16 and 24. In their longitudinal models, exclusive breastfeeding (breast milk only, with no formula or solids) for at least four months was associated with a 25% reduction in the overall odds of prevalent asthma up to young adulthood.
Age-specific results showed the protective association was statistically significant through age 12 but not beyond that point. When investigators examined asthma trajectories over time, exclusive breastfeeding was linked to substantially lower odds of persistent asthma (symptoms that continue from childhood into later years) and had a borderline inverse association with early transient asthma (symptoms confined to early childhood). There was no observed association with late-onset asthma.
The pattern extended to allergic sensitization: exclusive breastfeeding for four months or more was also inversely associated with IgE sensitization overall, suggesting a broader effect on the development of allergic disease. The authors strengthened their analysis by excluding 486 children who experienced wheeze or eczema during the breastfeeding period; the associations became stronger after this exclusion, reducing the likelihood that early symptoms had influenced infant feeding choices.
The study does not claim breastfeeding prevents all forms of asthma but points to a specific protective role in early and persistent disease pathways and in IgE-mediated sensitization. For clinicians and parents, the findings add longer-term evidence to discussions about infant feeding, early allergy risk and respiratory health across childhood and into young adulthood. The results are reported by Kull et al. in J Allergy Clin Immunol (2026; doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2025.12.1011).
Original Source: https://www.emjreviews.com/respiratory/news/breastfeeding-tied-to-lower-asthma-risk/
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Publish Date: 2026-04-24 02:01:00
