Breastfeeding is one of the most powerful interventions to save infant lives globally.

This paper provides an evolutionary perspective on why modern complementary food diets are often inadequate, asserting that inadequate diets and nutritional deficiencies have likely been a part of the human condition since the agricultural revolution.

Exposure to factors related to pregnant and recently delivered women’s households and health services could optimize maternal nutrition practices and the delivery of maternal nutrition interventions.

Breastfeeding is one of the best buys in global health to improve social, health, and economic development outcomes. Globally, improving breastfeeding practices could save more than 820,000 lives annually—87 percent of them infants under six months of age.