title: Human milk and breastfeeding: An intervention to mitigate toxic stress.
abstract: The American Academy of Nursing has identified toxic stress in childhood as a health policy concern of high priority. Adult diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease) should be viewed as developmental disorders that begin early in life that could be reduced with the alleviation of toxic stress in childhood. The provision of human milk/breastfeeding is an evidence-based intervention that may hold the greatest potential to mitigate the effects of toxic stress from the moment of birth. Assisting families to make an informed choice to initiate and continue breastfeeding from birth has the potential to address both the disparity in the quality of nutrition provided infants and the economic stress experienced by families who purchase formula. The Expert Panel on Breastfeeding endorses initiatives to improve the initiation, duration, and exclusivity of breastfeeding to mitigate the effects of toxic stress in this call to action for research to build the evidence to support these critical relationships.
authors: University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA.
authors: Sunny G
authors: SG
authors: Hallowell
authors: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
authors: Elizabeth B
authors: EB
authors: Froh
authors: University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. Electronic address: spatz@nursing.upenn.edu.
authors: Diane L
authors: DL
authors: Spatz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000592:standards*; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances
keywords: Breastfeeding; Human milk; Toxic stress