Breast milk is both nutritious food, medicine too

Wnnie Wambui breastfeeding her one-and-a-half-year-old baby at Karangatha stadium during a tournament. [File, Standard]

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival, but breastfeeding dynamics have changed dramatically over the years, due to social, economic and cultural changes. The only constant is the overwhelming benefits of breastfeeding or mother's milk.

For starters, babies who are breastfed have shown better intelligence even despite being preterm. Breast milk contains antibodies that reduce risk of infections including respiratory tract, gastrointestinal, ENT and others like leukaemia. Breast milk also reduces the chances for adolescent obesity and diabetes in later life.