President Donald Trump and his administration can make politics out of the World Health Organization's breastfeeding guidance, but when it comes to medical science, they won't win a debate. There is an abundance of medical research showing the benefits breast milk plays in infancy that carry over in later life. Research consistently supports that breast milk is the safest and most nutritious feeding method for babies — and the most inexpensive.

Mayte Torres | Getty Images

It is clear from recent government data that women have sided with science. The 2016 breastfeeding report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that breastfeeding rates are increasing. Four out of five infants start feeding on breast milk after birth, according to the report, and more than half are still breastfeeding at six months. A number of health organizations, including WHO, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, endorse breastfeeding as the best choice for babies. But the WHO found itself in a surprising political battle with the U.S. government over its planned nursing guidance, according to a New York Times report from this past weekend. The Times reported that the Trump administration threatened trade retaliation and military withdrawal against WHO member countries, including Ecuador, for its support of breastfeeding guidance. The New York Times noted that baby formula manufacturers were at the WHO meeting in Geneva where the tensions erupted, but health advocates told the Times there were no indications of a direct effort by formula makers to influence policy.

Benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child

Often called the “perfect food” for a baby’s digestive system, breast milk contains nutrients such as lactose, protein and fat that are easily digested by a newborn, according to Nemours, a U.S. pediatric health system. This leads to babies having fewer bouts of diarrhea or constipation. The Mayo Clinic states that breast milk is “the gold standard,” citing its balance of nutrients and ability to boost the baby’s immune system. It naturally contains antibodies that aren’t found in formula, which helps prevent ear infections, asthma, respiratory infections and other illnesses, the American Academy of Pediatrics states. It also contains leptin and ghrelin, hormones that control appetite in a child, according to a research paper published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The main antibody found in breast milk, called IgA, boosts immunity by blocking pathogens from attaching to the gastrointestinal tract. The rate of sudden infant death syndrome is also reduced by more than a third in breastfed babies, according to the AAP. Infants who exclusively consume breast milk for the first six months are also less prone to obesity, according to WHO. In a study solely focused on the relationship between obesity and breastfeeding, the AAP found that high-risk infants who were breastfed for less than two months were more likely to be on an overweight track as opposed to a stable-weight track. There is a 15 percent to 30 percent reduction in adolescent and adult obesity in breastfed versus non-breastfed infants, according to the AAP.

Commercial formulas can't completely match breast milk's exact composition. Why? Because milk is a living substance made by each mother for her individual infant, a process that can't be duplicated in a factory. Nemours pediatric health system