Breastfeeding as Science Wisdom: A Foundation for Preventing Life Cycle Malnutrition

Introduction: Malnutrition is still a significant global problem today, characterized by a deficiency, excess, or imbalance in energy intake or absorption of nutrients in the body. Malnutrition includes stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight. One of the special interventions given to toddlers is exclusive breastfeeding. This article will explain how breastfeeding is one of the malnutrition prevention methods, with all the contents of breast milk as a nutritional foundation for infants, as well as breastfeeding’s unique role in health promotion. Methods: The research was designed as a literature review, examining several articles from online databases. Results: Breastfeeding is one of the fundamental aspects in the growth and development of infant health. Breastfeeding is an action to prevent malnutrition at all stages of life, with the role of breast milk in regulating the metabolic and immunological systems. Breast milk also provides the benefit of increasing intelligence, which correlates with socio-economic welfare in community life. There needs to be a policy and education for the community to ensure that breastfeeding can be done optimally by all mothers regardless of socio-economic background. Conclusion: Breastfeeding is a profound scientific wisdom and is the first step in protecting and maintaining human health throughout the life cycle. Breastfeeding is not only about nutritional adequacy but also metabolic regulation, immunological protection, and strengthening community resilience. Therefore, breastfeeding needs to be used as an important strategy for preventing malnutrition and health promotion.