Breast-feeding: its impact on the anaemia rate at infant age

Twenty-five infants were tested: in the first six months they were exclusively breast-fed; from the age of 6-12 months they were breast-fed and gradually given cereals, fruit, vegetables, soup and meat. The control group of 27 infants were fed on infant formula from the first month of their lives, and starting from the fourth month, they were gradually given other food for infants. The research results show that at the age of 6 months 28% of breast-fed infants, and 7.4% formula fed ones had haemoglobin less than 110 g/L (p=0.0499; c2 test). 16% of breast-fed infants and 3.7% formula fed ones had MCV below 70fl (p=0.035; c2 test). At the age of 12 months, 24% of breast-fed infants and 3.7% of formula fed ones had haemoglobin less than 110 g/L (p=0.1079; c2 test). 36% of breast-fed infants and 3.7% formula fed infants had MCV less than 70 fl (p=0.028; c2 test). The Student´s test shows that infants who were breast-fed in the first year of life have statistically significant lower haemoglobin levels than formula fed infants, (p<0.004 at the age of 6 months). At age of 12 months the difference in haemoglobin level is also significant (p<0.0001). No correlation between body mass and hemoglobin level as MCV was found.