Early findings about link to obesity & formula

[Arimeh]

Hmm.. interesting study. However, I'm the overweight one in my family, and I was breastfed the longest. Same with my DH, he is the only overweight child out of all his siblings and they were all breastfed for the same amount of time....... interesting...

[ShootingStar]

Hmm yeh interesting too.. though i was forumla fed from birth, as was my brother and sister and none of us are no where near over weight.

[BellyBelly]

I don't think it refers to obesity in adulthood in this study only childhood.

The rate of obesity in formula fed babies was not 100% so there are going to people who were FF and are not obese. It's just found (like other studies) that its more likely.

[ShootingStar]

Oh well yeh, neither of my siblings or i were over weight as a child either.

I guess for them to put out that article, its just another thing to make us mums who cant breastfeed feel more guilty.

[BellyBelly]

If you look at it that way. No-one can create guilt but ourselves.

But if you look at it constructively, if they can isolate something specific in the good bacteria then I am sure you will see formula companies add it in or something, or it could lead to something proactive like that. So its all in the way you look at it and how you make yourself feel about it.

Have a read of this if you haven't already: Artificial Feeding - Nothing To Do With Breastfeeding

[ShootingStar]

Gee thank you for the support.

I am happy i chose to feed my son formula, as he is one happy and healthy boy today.. and to me thats all that matters.

[BellyBelly]

But if you are happy why do you feel guilty?

[Liz]

Well, like they said, it's not just this one thing that will cause or prevent obesity, but it is very interesting.

Kelly - I read about antibiotics in labour being a possible cause of colic. I had AB because I'd been ill and they weren't sure that's why I had gone into pre-term labour.. and DD had quite bad wind/colic. Her's may have been a combination of a premmie belly as well as the AB I suppose. Altho, it didn't rear it's ugly head until she was about 5 or 6 weeks old, so I dunno. There were no immediate probs from the AB.

The human body is a pretty finely tuned machine isn't it. I read somewhere too that we shouldn't worm our kids regularly (don't know if ppl do anyway do they??) because there are good worms that we are supposed to have in our guts. Keep everything simple and as natural as possible I say

[Visitor8]

hmm well both my boys were FF early and neither are overweight. For every person who says their child was FF and is overweight there is just as many saying the opposite.
Jaidan was the earliest FF of my 2 and he is skinny as a rake.

[Toomanytoomany]

For those who are uncomfortable with these studies being published or discussed, I'd like to respectfully ask, what would you prefer be done?

That research into the benefits of breastmilk not be done? Or that it not be discussed when it is done? Or that scientific research be published with caveats about how despite the findings of the research, parents who feel bad shouldn't feel that the findings might apply to them? Scientific research is not judgement, it is neutral. What we choose to do with it is another matter.

For many women, the struggles of breastfeeding are outweighed by the knowledge that breastmilk is giving particular health benefits to their child. And so they persevere, and the general benefit to the population is increased (whether or not we choose to put our anecdotal experience above empirical evidence).

It's good for our babies, it's good for mothers, and it's good for our health system, for the health-giving mechanisms of breastfeeding to be understood. I don't see that the benefit to people who feel guilty about formula feeding is more important than the benefit of giving parents the absolutely best information they can to make the most informed choices they can.

If people who have either chosen to formula feed or have been forced to do so want scientific studies to show that there are no health implications in this course of action, they're going to be upset. There's just too much evidence. So rather than shooting the messenger, let's all look towards better education and getting as much information a we possibly can, so that we can all make the best decisions we possibly can, and be at peace with them, knowing we've done the very best we could in the circumstances we found ourselves.

[heliana]

I thought that article was interesting. I do agree that some studies tend to find what they want. Some of the graphs they put up at uni, which show definately that something caused something, I sit there and think, but look, it was allready reducing, or couldn't something else have been the cause.
But I do think that bacteria can do alot of good, and not only in bm, in the past I think most people consumed alot more of them than they do now - sourdough bread, real yoghurt, cultured butter, raw milk, sourkrout (?), grapes are treated to kill natural yeasts, I think I read somewhere grain is steralised too. And potatoes are treated, thats why you have seed potatoes and normal potatoes- so I guess that would kill the yeasts/bacterias on them too.
I think they are putting probiotics into formula now aren't they? I guess that is the benefit of these studies.
I've seen some other interesting studies too, showing the effect pre-natal nutrition has on obesity.
Plus there are those emails about msg fat rats

[heliana]

lol this forum needs a spell checker

[Bathsheba]

I think you've made some good points about the friendly bacteria levels being higher in the past that it is today... and also with the much higher levels of sugar in our diets the little good bacteria we ARE getting in our diets is often killed off by the sugar-loving bad bacteria.