This is a frequent question posed by parents but is a complex one to answer. The studies on this subject do not allow us to clearly inform parents whether or not they should breastfeed their child. These studies are all carried out in posteriori and are very difficult to interpret if we take into account the child’s terrain, the family’s terrain, family antecedents, the general context and the socio-economic environment of the child. The studies seem to show that breastfeeding could indeed help prevent eczema in a child but that this is most relevant for those children who already have an atopic terrain and so a disposition to developing eczema.

Prof. Frédéric Cambazar