EFFECTS OF BREASTFEEDING

Mental health  

Breastfeeding for more than 6 months is an independent predictor of better mental health through childhood and adolescence according to a large 2009 study. The more month’s children were breastfed the less likely they were to suffer from depression, delinquent behavior, attention issues and other psychological problems. 
Breastfeeding also improves cognitive development according to a number of other studies.

The beneficial effects seem to stem in large part from the unique composition of human milk which, compared to formula milk, has been shown to lead to improved motor and cognitive development in pre-term babies as well.

Childhood obesity

Breastfeeding appears to reduce the risk of extreme obesity in children. The protective effect of breastfeeding against obesity is consistent, though small, across many studies, and appears to increase with the duration of breastfeeding. A study has also shown that infants who are bottle-fed in early infancy are more likely to empty the bottle or cup in late infancy than those who are breastfed. "Bottle-feeding, regardless of the type of milk, is distinct from feeding at the breast in its effect on infants' self-regulation of milk intake." According to the study, this may be due to one of three possible factors, including that when bottle feeding, parents may encourage an infant to finish the contents of the bottle whereas when breastfeeding, an infant naturally develops self-regulation of milk intake. A study in Today's Pediatrics associates solid food given too early to Formula-fed babies before 4 months old will make them 6 times as likely to become obese by age 3. It does not happen if the babies were given solid foods with breast feeding.

Other long term health effects

Although one study showed no evidence that breastfeeding offers protection against allergies, another study showed a positive correlation between breastfeeding and a lower risk of asthma. This study also showed that breastfeeding protects against allergies, and respiratory and intestinal infections.

A review of the association between breastfeeding and celiac disease (CD) concluded that breast feeding while introducing gluten to the diet reduced the risk of CD. The study was unable to determine if breastfeeding merely delayed symptoms or offered lifelong protection.

According to the findings of a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin, women who were breastfed as infants may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who were not breastfed.

Breastfeeding may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in later life, as indicated by lower cholesterol and protein levels in adult women who had been breastfed as infants. Although a 2001 study suggested that adults who had been breastfed as infants had lower arterial dispensability than adults who had not been breastfed as infants, he 2007 review for the WHO concluded that breastfed infants "experienced lower mean blood pressure" later in life.  A 2007 review for the AHRQ found that "there is an association between a history of breastfeeding during infancy and a small reduction in adult blood pressure, but the clinical or public health implication of this finding is unclear". A 2006 study found that breastfed babies are better able to cope with stress later in life. In a paper selected by UNICEF as the “Breastfeeding Paper of the Month” it was suggested that breastfed babies have a better chance of good dental health than artificially-fed infants because of the effects of breastfeeding on the development of the oral cavity and airway. It was thought that with fewer malocclusions, breastfed children may have a reduced need for orthodontic intervention. The report also suggested that children with the proper development of a well rounded, "U-shaped" dental arch, which is found more commonly in breastfed children, may have fewer problems with snoring and sleep apnea in later life.