According to recent research, mothers in the UK are breastfeeding their children at the lowest rate in the world.
The data, which has been collated and presented in an international study by The Lancet, established that mothers in the United Kingdom do not engage in the practice with the same regularity as their counterparts in other countries.
According to the figures which may stun some members of the public, only 0.5% of mothers in the UK breastfeed their children after one year - a percentage which is in stark contrast to 99% in Senegal, 56% in Brazil and 23% in Germany.
Researchers established that there existed a steep drop in the number of women in the UK breastfeeding after a certain point in their child's life, with 81% attempting the practice at some point before dropping to 34% at six months and 0.5% at 12 months.
Reflecting on the possible impact the study may have on the wider public, Professor Cesar Victora from the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil urged mothers to consider the benefits of continuing the practice.
"There is a widespread misconception that the benefits of breastfeeding only relate to poor countries Nothing could be further from the truth: our work clearly shows that breastfeeding saves lives and money in all countries, rich and poor alike," he asserted.
As it stands, women in the UK are advised to feed their infant breast milk for the first six months of its life.
