The health-giving qualities of natural birth were underlined
again this week by a study that shows that babies born by
Caesarean section are far more likely to develop asthma as
children. In a study of nearly 3,000 children, those born by
C-section were around 60 per cent more likely to develop asthma
by the time they were eight. C-section babies whose mothers also
had allergies were even more likely to become asthmatic, while
those who had both parents that were allergic nearly tripled
their chances of developing the disease. C-sections have
increased from around 5 per cent of all births in the 1970s to
more than a third today, and cases of asthma have increased
dramatically in line with this. The researchers conjecture that
natural birth helps prime the immune system, so reducing the
risk of diseases such as asthma. (Source: Thorax, December 3,
2008. doi: 10.1136/thx.2008.100875).