At first glance you might think this is just another study touting the benefits of breastfeeding. But what makes this study unique is that it is a population-based survey containing data on infant feeding, infant health, and a range of confounding factors for 15,890 healthy, full-term babies born in the United Kingdom - a developed country.

Few would disagree with the assertion that breastfeeding protects infants and young children from infectious diseases, especially diarrhea and lower respiratory tract infections. But many argue that the protection is only significant for babies born in developing countries.

The belief among many parents and health professionals is that breastfed babies born in developed countries are only marginally different from their artificially-fed (formula-fed) counterparts with regard to the incidence of infectious disease. In other words, it’s the environment, not the method of infant feeding that is thought to be significant for infant health.

As further evidence, many parents living in developed countries report little or no difference in health among their own children - those artificially-fed and those breastfed, and many health professionals testify that their own health was excellent as a child despite being artificially-fed.

These assumptions make the study by Quigley and colleagues all the more significant. Published in the April issue of Pediatrics, data, analyzed by month of age and adjusted for confounders, show that breastfeeding, particularly when exclusive and prolonged, protects against hospitalizations for diarrhea and lower respiratory tract infection.

The public health application is compelling. Based on the data, an estimated 53% of hospitalizations for diarrhea could have been prevented each month by exclusive breastfeeding and 25% by partial breastfeeding. Similarly, 27% of hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract infection could have been prevented each month by exclusive breastfeeding and 25% by partial breastfeeding.

The results become even more significant when you consider that only 1.2% of study infants were exclusively breastfed for 6 months.

Infant feeding is truly about dollars and sense.