Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Breathing easier with breast milk

Nature Medicine volume 14, pages 116–118 (2008)Cite this article

Breast milk protects young mice from developing symptoms of asthma. The effect occurs through the induction of regulatory T cells after ingestion of allergen and TGF-β in breast milk (pages 170–175).

No clear recommendations exist for mothers who want to know how to best protect their children from developing allergies and asthma. Concordance in assigning a protective role for breastfeeding in asthma prevention has not been achieved, despite the large numbers of mothers and their children who have been studied worldwide. Furthermore, few studies have examined how breastfeeding by nonallergic mothers affects asthma susceptibility in children.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Allergens acquired during breastfeeding induce protection from allergic airway disease.

Katie Ris-Vicari

References

  1. Verhasselt, V. et al. Nat. Med. 14, 170–175 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Wills-Karp, M. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 17, 255–281 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kilshaw, P.J. & Cant, A.J. Int. Arch. Allergy Appl. Immunol. 75, 8–15 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Leme, A.S. et al. J. Immunol. 176, 762–769 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Matson, A.P. et al. J. Immunol. 179, 1282–1291 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Saito, S., Yoshida, M., Ichijo, M., Ishizaka, S. & Tsujii, T. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 94, 220–224 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. von Boehmer, H. J. Exp. Med. 204, 1737–1739 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kretschmer, K. et al. Nat. Immunol. 6, 1219–1227 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Coombes, J.L. et al. J. Exp. Med. 204, 1757–1764 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Drayton, D.L., Liao, S., Mounzer, R.H. & Ruddle, N.H. Nat. Immunol. 7, 344–353 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Dakic, A. et al. J. Immunol. 172, 1018–1027 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sakaguchi, S. & Powrie, F. Science 317, 627–629 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lynn Puddington and Adam Matson do their research at the Center for Integrative Immunology and Vaccine Research in the Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-1319, USA. Puddington@nso1.uchc.edu,

    Lynn Puddington & Adam Matson

Authors
  1. Lynn Puddington
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Adam Matson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Puddington, L., Matson, A. Breathing easier with breast milk. Nat Med 14, 116–118 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0208-116

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0208-116

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing