Early findings about link to obesity & formula

[Trillian]

Its not a huge leap to make - 80% of the bodys bacteria is in the gut, so it is safe to assume that if your gut flora isn't right, then the rest of your body is likely to be out of whack too. I'm a huge convert to the use of probiotics and take it everyday, as well as giving it to the kids too.

[Nai]

It does make a lot of sense that if they can identify the things in breastmilk that make it so beneficial then that can be used to improve the formula of formula. The better we can make that then the better it is for the babies and mothers who need to use this option.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

There is one upsetting thing about this article and discussion.

"Good" and "bad" bacteria. They have no morals, nor a concience. They are just bacteria. Neither are bacteria "friendly". Some live in the gut and digest food in a symbiotic environment. Some cause an imbalance and we suffer as our body expels them - either one new bacterium or an excess of what is marketed as "friendly" bacteria. But that isn't a moral judgement on bacteria, just as BFing or FFing doesn't make us "good" or "bad" mums, nor "friendly" mums - just mums.

(Sorry, this one does annoy me. I know, I know, geek.)

[christy]

When Jovie & I were having heaps of problems with breast refusal, it all started when I had a huge whack of antibiotics. Then the LC I went to suggested we give probiotics to Jovie at 9 weeks, at every formula feed we did. She suggested I continue that until Jovie was 12 months. She didn't give me any medical information other than that it would reduce wind and upset tums for Jovie and help her develop a good gut flora.

HTH!

[heliana]

Do you know what this made me think of, I went to Alma park zoo the other day, and they were talking about baby koalas and I think (if I got this right) when the baby koala weans, it eats a special poo from the mummy koala which contains bacteria to help it digest gum leaves..
No im not saying eat poo
I just think its interesting how important bacteria are in life.
Do you know you can buy a anti bac spray n wipe which contains good bacteria to kill any dangerous bacteria on your bench!
Also I read this:
"Sometimes a bit of bacteria can be just what the doctor ordered. If you prize yogurt for its ?active cultures,? you know what I?m talking about. Now a new study, published in the September 21st online issue of Nature, suggests that good bugs might even hold diabetes at bay. Type I diabetes is caused by an immune system malfunction. Basically, the immune cells that usually chase after bacteria instead attack the pancreas, wiping out the cells that produce insulin. So researchers decided to see what would happen if they reigned in the immune response in mice that are prone to diabetes.

As expected, they found that the animals were less likely to develop the disease. But the effect depended entirely on the critters having a normal complement of friendly bacteria in their intestine. Mice that were raised in a totally sterile, germ-free environment were rampant diabetics. But simply treating those mice with a ****tail of bugs found in most mammals? bellies cured the disease. How bacteria in the intestine can stave off diabetes is not yet clear. But the finding could lead to some interesting new treatments. In the meantime, remember that we can't live without the stuff that lives in us."

[paradise lost]

I am a planet and my gut is my rain forests

Great article Kel. It actually made me feel BETTER about FF because at the time i had no choice, and the fact that i thought it better to go for the probiotic formula seems retrospectively to have been a good one! LOL, so funny how different people react to different things!

I seriously think that unless death is imminent AB's can be the WORST thing to do the the body - they're like chemotherapy to gut flora, and we ALL recognise how devastating chemotherapy can be! The phrase "If it doesn't kill you it'll cure you" comes to mind...

Bx

[[M]umma[M]ia]

lmao whatta whole lotta crap. Studies hay.... oh them studies.

I DO NOT believe it at all! NOOOOO ONE i know that has fed their baby formula has an obese child. Quite the opposite actually. Mind u.. ive seen BF babies that are HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE! so go figure.

To all my fellow FF friends, dont let this get to u.. *shrugs it off*

I mean come on, the studies are going up till they are 7. So tell me that ALL them children have the same lifestyles and eat exactly the same foods every day, then maybe... just mayb i would give it a thought. But its not gonna happen.