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Nutrition and Human Reproduction pp 197–229Cite as

Maternal Nutrition, Breast-Feeding and Infant Survival

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Abstract

As important as breastfeeding may be to human survival — more so today in some places, of course, than in others — there is much that is not well understood, and much to be learned. A number of studies have been carried out to explore various aspects of the relation, but they vary widely in the problem addressed, in the variables examined — or omitted — in the methods used, in the population samples studied, and in the conditions under which they were conducted. Thus, if conclusions are to be reached, some of them will necessarily be tentative, if not downright speculative — and probably biased. In this presentation, I will address three questions:

  1. 1)

    Does maternal nutrition affect lactation?

  2. 2)

    Does lactation affect infant survival?

  3. 3)

    Do maternal nutrition and lactation affect fertility?

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Joe D. Wray

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  1. Joe D. Wray
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Hygiene and Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    W. Henry Mosley

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© 1978 Plenum Press, New York

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Wray, J.D. (1978). Maternal Nutrition, Breast-Feeding and Infant Survival. In: Mosley, W.H. (eds) Nutrition and Human Reproduction. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0790-7_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0790-7_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-0792-1

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