英国医学家11月15日表示，母乳喂养将使婴儿不易患上麸质过敏症。麸质过敏症是指对小麦、黑麦和大麦中含有的一种蛋白质的过敏反应。

    据路透社11月15日报道，英格兰曼彻斯特一家医院的医学家对15项相关研究进行总结后发现，接受母乳喂养时间越长的儿童患麸质过敏症的危险就越小。

    这项回顾性研究共涉及了4000余名儿童。研究显示，同其他儿童相比，如果婴儿出生后接受母乳喂养，且食用包含麦麸的固态食物，那么其患麸质过敏症的危险就会减少52％。但是研究人员尚不能确定母乳喂养是如何从中起作用的。他们推测，母乳喂养可能会减少这些婴儿与含有麦麸的食品接触的几率，或者能抑制免疫系统对这种蛋白的不良反应。

    研究负责人托尼·埃克本表示："母乳喂养可能有助于防止麸质过敏症的发生。"研究人员在一份发表于 《儿童疾病文献》上的报告中称，他们尚不能确定，母乳喂养是让麸质过敏症的症状延迟发作，还是能永久性地阻止这种疾病的发生。

    报道说，麸质过敏症(Celiac Disease，又称乳糜泻)是一种消化道疾病，主要起因于肠道对麸质的不良反应。麸质过敏症不但会造成肠胃不适，影响养分吸收，更可能引发痢疾，造成体重减轻、肌肉抽筋、腹部疼痛和腹胀等症状，对其惟一的治疗方法就是食用不含麦麸的食物。

    Mothers who breast-feed their children may help to protect them from developing celiac disease, an intolerance to a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, scientists said on Tuesday.

    In a review of 15 studies, they found that the longer children are breast fed the less likely they are to suffer from the illness.

    "Breast feeding may offer protection against the development of celiac disease," said Dr Tony Akobeng of the Central Manchester Children's University Hospital in England.

    But he and his team said in a report published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood they are not sure whether breast feeding delays the onset of symptoms of the illness or provides permanent protection against it.

    People who suffer from celiac disease have an intolerance to gluten and are unable to eat wheat, barley and rye products. It is a genetic disease in which the immune system damages the small intestine when gluten is eaten.

    The review, which involved more than 4,000 children, showed that if babies were breast-fed when they were introduced to solid foods containing gluten, it cut their risk of suffering from the illness by 52 percent compared to other youngsters.

    The researchers said they are not sure how breast feeding protects a child from the illness. They suspect it could reduce their exposure to gluten or curb the immune system's response to the protein.

    Celiac disease can produce a variety of symptoms including weight loss, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle cramps and abdominal pain and bloating. The only treatment is to eat a gluten-free diet.