Question: 147. Given below are two statements : one is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R:
Assertion A : Breast-feeding during initial period of infant growth is recommended by doctors for bringing a healthy baby.
Reason R : Colostrum contains several antibodies absolutely essential to develop resistance for the new born baby.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
(1) Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A .
(2) Both A and R are correct but R is NOT the correct explanation of A .
(3) A is correct but R is not correct.
(4) A is not correct but R is correct.
Answer: Option (1)
Explanation:
Breast-feeding during the initial period after birth is strongly recommended because it provides essential nutrition and immunity to the infant.
The first milk produced by the mother is called colostrum, which is rich in antibodies, especially immunoglobulin A.
These antibodies help protect the newborn against various infections and diseases during the early stages of life.
Since the immune system of a newborn is not fully developed, the antibodies present in colostrum play a crucial role in developing resistance.
Therefore, both the assertion and the reason are correct, and the reason correctly explains why breast-feeding is recommended during the initial period of infant growth.