{"id":171556,"date":"2025-11-18T16:25:43","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T22:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=171556"},"modified":"2025-12-18T01:29:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T07:29:36","slug":"early-nutrition-to-reduce-disease-and-inequality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/health\/early-nutrition-to-reduce-disease-and-inequality\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Nutrition and Breastfeeding: Key Strategies to Reduce Disease and Inequality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How a child is fed in the earliest years of life can shape not only their future health but also the social and economic development of entire countries. According to Rafael P\u00e9rez-Escamilla<\/a>, professor at the Yale School of Public Health, early nutrition and breastfeeding are among the most effective tools to reduce disease, inequality, and long-term social gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEarly nutrition is the most cost-effective investment any country can make,\u201d he said. Food and nutrition security, he explained, makes it possible to sustain the rapid pace of human growth required for healthy development\u2014especially during the first 1,000 days of life, a critical window for cognitive, brain, and psychosocial development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These insights were shared during the International Early Childhood Forum<\/a>, organized by the Tec de Monterrey Early Childhood Center<\/a> and Fundaci\u00f3n FEMSA, where P\u00e9rez-Escamilla presented his talk, Early Nutrition as a Key to Zero Hunger, Planetary Health, and Social Peace<\/em>, drawing on recent scientific evidence about the far-reaching impact of nutrition in early childhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Benefits of Breastfeeding Keep Growing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Breastfeeding is the optimal source of nutrition for infants: it supports brain development, promotes healthy growth, and strengthens the immune system. Recent research shows that \u201cthe list of benefits of breast milk continues to grow: in addition to preventing respiratory, ear, and gastrointestinal infections, it prevents cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases. It also reduces neonatal mortality and the risk of sudden death, and decreases the likelihood of asthma, dental malocclusion, pediatric leukemia, type 1 diabetes, and obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infant nutrition changes rapidly during the first two years of life. As the researcher explains: \u201cWhen a baby is born, exclusive breastfeeding provides all the necessary nutrition for the first six months. From that point on, they should begin healthy and safe complementary feeding, with textures that progress according to their development. By the second year, they should already be eating nutritious and varied foods, like the rest of the family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This diversification process occurs alongside the baby\u2019s motor and cognitive development and coincides with a critical window for maternal health. \u201cBreastfeeding does not benefit children alone: the longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. It also reduces the risk of severe postpartum hemorrhage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also emphasized the enormous economic value of breastfeeding: if global breast milk production were counted, it would exceed 3.5 trillion dollars annually. However, \u201cthere is not a single country that includes breastfeeding in its Gross Domestic Product; they only count the production of infant formula.\u201d For this reason, he called for strengthening support programs at all levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cognitive, Economic, and Environmental Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Evidence shows that extending breastfeeding not only improves child health but also enhances cognitive development and generates long-term economic benefits. P\u00e9rez-Escamilla explains that children who are breastfed for longer reach social, motor, and language milestones earlier and show greater maturation of white matter in the brain, which is essential for cognitive function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These effects continue into adulthood. A study from the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil, titled Association Between Breastfeeding and Intelligence, Schooling, and Income at Age 30: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study in Brazil<\/a><\/em>, followed 4,000 people and found that those who were breastfed for longer periods had incomes nearly 30% higher at age 30. \u201cThey found a significant relationship between breastfeeding duration and the wages participants earned,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another recent analysis estimates that increasing exclusive breastfeeding to 90% in the first six months would prevent 72,000 deaths due to chronic diseases and more than 10 million cases of type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond its impact on health and development, breast milk also provides environmental benefits. The infant formula industry produces tens of millions of tons of CO\u2082 and consumes billions of liters of water. As the specialist summarizes: \u201cBreastfeeding not only protects health; it also protects the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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