Maternal breastfeeding has significant impacts that extend throughout an individual's life. Data from the World Health Organization indicates that less than 50% of children globally receive exclusive breastfeeding until they reach six months of age, which is a concern.
Breast milk transcends the function of mere food, offering complete and balanced nutrition, whose composition adapts to the needs of each stage of the baby's growth. Furthermore, it provides crucial elements for immune defense, decreasing the probability of respiratory infections, diarrhea, and allergies. Breastfeeding also strengthens the emotional bond between mother and child, and brings benefits to the mother, such as reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, aiding in postpartum recovery.
Annual campaigns on the topic address various points, from support in the workplace to the role of family and healthcare professionals. For 2026, the official focus will be 'Breastfeeding for a sustainable start to life.' The WHO recommends that exclusive breastfeeding should occur up to six months, maintained with complementary foods until two years or older.
In Brazil, August is dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging breastfeeding, known as Golden August. The golden color symbolizes the 'gold standard' of human milk quality, recognized as the most complete food for healthy development, immunity, and neonatal protection against various diseases.
Although the benefits are well established, many mothers face obstacles to breastfeeding, such as lack of family support, premature return to work, misinformation, and lack of effective public policies. Therefore, initiatives like Breastfeeding Week and Golden August emphasize the need for community and family support for the nursing mother, as well as the existence of workplaces with adequate leave and support rooms.
It is equally vital to have properly trained healthcare professionals to provide guidance and support, in addition to combating the spread of false information and the inappropriate promotion of infant formulas.
The Laboratory of Endocrine Physiology at the Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) has been conducting experimental research for almost three decades, focusing on chronic diseases related to development. The research concentrates on conditions resulting from events that occurred during pregnancy and lactation, especially endocrine diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
The initial period of one thousand days of life, covering from conception to two years of age, is crucial for organic development. There is evidence that dietary or environmental changes experienced by the mother during this critical phase impact the child's health with lasting consequences. A notable example is malnutrition, which not only harms child development but also increases the risk of metabolic diseases in adulthood.
In this scenario, breast milk plays a central role in promoting child health. Exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months provides vital nutrients for growth, along with bioactive components essential for the baby's immunity. Consequently, early weaning, understood as the interruption of exclusive breastfeeding, increases the risks of child mortality and morbidity, in addition to increasing the chance of overweight and obesity throughout life.
Given these epidemiological evidences, the research group has studied, in animal models, the underlying mechanisms of this higher risk of metabolic diseases. Indeed, premature weaning causes a hormonal imbalance and affects the control of food intake and energy expenditure, which explains the obese profile. Such findings reinforce the importance of encouraging breastfeeding, following WHO guidelines.
Nutritional and environmental changes affecting maternal health during lactation alter the composition of breast milk and, consequently, modify child development. In a bibliographic review based on studies with an experimental model, the effect of adequate provision of breast milk was synthesized from the perspective of the concept 'Developmental Origins of Health and Disease' (DOHaD).
The research group has already demonstrated in a scientific article published in an international journal that maternal factors during lactation, such as stress, poor nutrition, substance use, and exposure to environmental pollutants (such as cigarette smoke and bisphenol A), are capable of altering the composition of breast milk. These factors increase the risk of developing obesity, metabolic dysfunctions, cardiovascular problems, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Current scientific information on the relevance of the breastfeeding period for healthy development and on maternal factors that can affect future health is compiled in a published book. Titled 'Breastfeeding shapes the rest of our lives: diseases that arise with development,' the book aims to generate knowledge about the origin of non-communicable chronic diseases and assist in designing public policies to prevent problems resulting from this phenomenon.
In addition to promoting breastfeeding and a healthy maternal lifestyle during this period, the work serves as a guide for those who wish to deepen their knowledge on the subject. Encouraging breastfeeding is an act of health promotion, which also results in reduced public health costs. However, beyond encouragement, it is essential to provide appropriate support and guidance to mothers, promoting a healthy lifestyle during breastfeeding. Breast milk is life!
