By Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

BREAST-FED BABIES HAVE LOWER RISK OF CHILDHOOD AND ADULT OBESITY

Question: I’m pregnant and expecting my first child in January. I’m getting mixed messages from my family about breast-feeding. My husband is supportive, but my mother thinks that breast-feeding is “old fashioned” and that it’s much easier and convenient to use formula. What are the pros and cons of breast-feeding versus bottle-feeding?

Answer: This is a timely question, since August 1st marks the beginning of “World Breastfeeding Week.” Before I give you details, let me answer your question in broad brush strokes. There are many “pros” to breast-feeding and virtually no “cons,” so your decision on this matter should be an easy one.

The theme of this year’s celebration -- the “Power of One” -- illustrates my point by emphasizing the tremendous importance of breast-feeding even in the very first hour after a baby’s birth. Research has shown that starting to breast-feed within that first hour is a crucial step in reducing infant mortality and keeping your baby healthy through his or her first year and beyond.

Breast-feeding gives babies many, many benefits. This is true for babies born into wealthy families and those born into poverty. The late James Grant, past executive director of UNICEF, put it this way: “Breast-feeding is a natural safety net against the worst effects of poverty. If a child survives the first month of life, the most dangerous period of childhood, then for the next four months or so, exclusive breast-feeding goes a long way towards cancelling out the health differences between being born into poverty and being born into affluence. It’s almost as if breast-feeding takes the infant out of poverty for those few vital months in order to give the child a fairer start in life and compensate for the injustices of the world into which it was born.”

But the benefits of breast-feeding aren’t just for those first few crucial weeks and months of life. They extend for a lifetime. Let me give you a few examples of these lifelong advantages.

In 2002, an article in the journal Pediatrics reviewed 37 studies on infant feeding styles and blood cholesterol levels. The researchers found that adults who had been breast-fed as infants had significantly lower blood cholesterol levels compared to those who had been bottle-fed. The average reduction for the breast-fed group was a ten percent lower cholesterol level. The journal noted that a reduction of this amount for all adults would reduce coronary heart disease by ten percent.

Also in 2002, the prestigious British medical journal Lancet published a study of more than 32,000 children. The study found a reduction in obesity among those children who had been breast-fed. Specifically, they found a 30 percent reduction in the risk for obesity among breast-fed children at the age of 3. Other evidence, the journal reported, suggests that this protective effect of breast-feeding extends into adulthood. Put another way, this study found that bottle-feeding is a risk factor for later obesity.

If I had more space, there’s a great deal more evidence that I could site in favor of breast-feeding. So, unless your physician recommends otherwise, you should definitely plan to breast-feed your child.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, P.O. Box 110, Athens, Ohio 45701, or via e-mail to readerquestions@familymedicinenews.org. Medical information in this column is provided as an educational service only. It does not replace the judgment of your personal physician, who should be relied on to diagnose and recommend treatment for any medical conditions. Past columns are available online at www.familymedicinenews.org.