Originally published January 8 2006
Insurance company funds study that supports the use of dummies to prevent crib death
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Kaiser Permanente, a large health insurance and management organization in California, has completed a study that found placing dummies in cots with infants reduced the risk of cot death by 90 percent.
Researchers from Kaiser Permanente, a large health insurance and management organisation in California, interviewed mothers or carers of 185 victims of cot death, as well as 312 randomly selected controls matched for their race, ethnicity and age.
They obtained information on dummy use during the "index sleep", the last sleep of those babies who died, or the sleep during the night before the interview of those randomly selected.
De-Kun Li, who led the team, said: "After adjusting for known risk factors, use of a dummy during sleep was associated with a 90 per cent reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome (Sids) compared with infants who did not use a dummy.
The protection seemed to be stronger when an infant was in a sleeping situation believed to be dangerous, such as sleeping face downwards or on the side, sleeping with a mother who smoked, or sleeping on soft bedding.
Dr Li said: "Use of a dummy is associated with a substantial reduction in the risk of Sids.
Our results also provide some evidence that use of a dummy may reduce the impact of other risk factors for Sids, especially those related to adverse sleep conditions.
Dummies, he said, usually have a bulky external handle, which could make sure that air reaches the nose or mouth when the baby's face is buried by bedclothes.
The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths responded to the study by advising parents that if their baby is using a dummy regularly they should continue to do so.
"That is because two research studies published since 2000 showed that babies who usually use a dummy but then stop are at increased risk of cot death on the night they don't use it," the foundation said in a statement.
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