Breastfeeding key in HIV study
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
HIV-positive women who breastfeed exclusively are less than half as likely to transmit the virus to their babies as women who use a mixture of breastfeeding and formula, South African researchers reported Friday in the medical journal Lancet.
Exclusive breastfeeding ordinarily protects the integrity of the intestinal mucosa, which thereby presents a more effective barrier to HIV, they said. It also is associated with fewer breast problems that can cause an increased viral load in breast milk.
