Decreased Breastfeeding as One Factor on a Short List That Causes Pandemics of Allergic and Autoimmune Disease

Abstract

Postindustrial society is plagued with pandemics of noninfectious, immune related illnesses. These diseases, which include allergic, autoimmune, and neuroinflammatory diseases, are not found in preindustrial societies, and are apparently caused by a limited number of environmental factors. These factors, essentially incompatible with human genetics, are each associated with a wide range of immune diseases. The most influential of these factors is a loss of diversity from the ecosystem of the human body, a condition termed "biome depletion." This state affects all postindustrial humans during and after fetal development, and remains the strongest challenge for modern medicine to overcome in the field of immunology. Fortunately, progress is being made. On the other hand, other factors associated with pandemics of allergic and autoimmune disease are within the control of each individual rather than the medical establishment. These factors include unrequited or chronic psychological stress, vitamin D deficiency, and substitution of breast milk with infant formula. Decreased breastfeeding in particular has a profound effect on immunity, probably through multiple mechanisms that involve increased stress levels, alterations of the human biome, and direct modulation of the immune system by mechanisms that remain largely uncharacterized. Given the synergism of these factors that adversely affect immunity in postindustrial culture, the importance of avoiding as many of these factors as possible is emphasized.