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BREASTFEEDING protects babies against malaria, says Olakunle Kassim of Howard
University College of Medicine in Washington DC. Kassim and colleagues at
Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria compared the milk of mothers in Nigeria
with women in Washington DC who had never been exposed to malaria. Milk from
both groups contained lactoferrin, which inhibits the growth of the malaria
parasite. The Nigerian milk also had antibodies to the malarial parasite, giving
babies extra protection (Journal of Tropical Paediatrics, vol 46, p
92).