Early findings about link to obesity & formula

[rurumummy]

Interesting article,maybe they can improve formula now to include everything that is needed,I guess that with every study they find extra benifits in breastmilk and that can help formula companies improve the formula.

I ff DD1 because i couldnt breastfeed,as much as i wanted to breast feed i didnt succeed and i ff but i dont feel guilty at all because i did what i could and i know i tried by best at the time.

Thankfully i succeded in brestfeeding DD2 because i had more support and knowledge and it was fantastic.

The important thing is we have the right intentions for our children

[Bathsheba]

I completely agree with rurummy... when i read the article I thought to myself: "great! now they know they can improve the formula by adding pro-biotics perhaps".

I've had to use formula for brief periods and I'm happy to read any info that is found about it. Thanks for posting the article Kelly.

[widdly]

interesting article kelly. You are very right about guilt, we can only make ourselves feel guilty, but guilt is a very hard emotion to let go of. I get guilt pangs about ff, but only little ones cause i know ff is best for my family and myself. I am very pro bf though and think that any research opn the benefits on bf is great to see.

bath - i didn't even think of looking at it that way, it would be great if this research helps formula to improve

[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.

[sushee]

hollye,

it's true that some studies aren't worth the paper they're printed on. But other studies do in fact have rigorous scientific control, and should not be dismissed as rubbish simply because you may not agree with it. Otherwise we wouldn't have cures for diseases, better understanding of health issues etc.

I think articles like this assist mothers in exploring all the evidence, making themselves aware, and deciding for themselves whether something is relevant to them or not. I also advocate that, instead of taking a studies findings at face value, you should look at the source, see if it's reputable, and if you can, check to see what the control measures were.

Correlations between any two events should not be taken in isolation, of course, because there are always environmental factors. But to completely dismiss it doesn't make much sense either. Don't you WANT to know? Or would you prefer to be in the dark about it? If you're one of the latter, just don't read the article. Simple.

[Liz]

What don't you believe? I don't think you can dispute that bacteria in the gut is important, and I think if they're finding a link between early gut flora and later health, it's not a bad thing.. it just means they can try to improve the health of our children.

I don't think anyone could or should say that replacing a babies entire diet with artificial milk wouldn't have some kind of impact on their health, be it blatently obvious or extremely subtle. If everyone believed that, there'd be no research & studies done, and formula wouldn't ever be improved upon.

If this study can improve formula, then I think it's a good thing.

[Jennifer13]

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

I DO NOT believe it at all!

Oh? I don't get that. So if something comes from a scientific study that happens to be different to the way we did things, we won't want our children to do them differently?

I would hope that the more evidence there is that bfing babies has so many positive impacts on babies and mothers then perhaps our govts will see fit to pump lots of money into support for new mothers and reversing the decreasing trend to bf amongst certain demographics. As others have said, it would also then benefit those who are ffing, since it will provide insight into what to put into formula to improve the health of those babies.

I just don't get why you'd ignore it or disregard it? This is a positive for everyone!

[Olive]

i think its a fantastic article! i am one who believes in the power of probiotics, taking them myself at the moment just in case i need AB's during labour and for another current reason, also discussed the use of kids probiotic powder on my nipples if needed when bubs is born to help with issues such as liz mentioned,
i think if fellow BB members who do FF and have bubs with tummy issues, perhaps such as yourself holly, get some benefit from this study then im all for it, its not a load of rubbish at all.
it may be worth your while checking out giving your DD probiotics!

[krisp]

I have worked in Clinical Trials and one interesting thing is that most Clinical Trials are often skewed to prove the theory they are researching, now when I say skewed they can be quite biased.

Please don't take this response as being pro or con FF as i have done both with my 2.

BUT, just keep in mind, trying to prove a link in a Clinical Trial setting is often easier that trying to disprove it.

[[M]umma[M]ia]

dont some formula's have pro - biotics in it anyway.

Mia's reflux has NOTHING to do with the formula, she had it when she was BF too.

I understand completley that "breat IS best" for bubs. Im just getting sick of people who formula feed their bubs get frowned down upon. If its not one thing its another.

Also.. whey dominant formula would be better yes? seeming it is closer to BM and easier to digest so nicer on guts.

Im going to be doing more research on this subject...

[Olive]

holly if you read what kelly said here

I also often wonder about the role of antibiotics in labour which play havoc with babies gut too, not so much with the link to obesity but in general. Since FF babies don't get pro-biotics from mum (I know some formulas have added one strain of probiotics, but there are many strains)... all interesting how each little thing we interfere with throws out so much

some do have probiotics, im not saying that formula caused reflux, just stating that perhaps to look into giving DD some, whether she was FF or BF. im not having a go at you for using formula, just making a suggestion. you totally dismissed the article before, but honestly you may be one to benefit!
i also suggested DD maybe try some as perhaps you had AB's due to your c/s. this is not a FF v's BF debate, its a discussion on helping those with possible gut problems

[sushee]

Im just getting sick of people who formula feed their bubs get frowned down upon. If its not one thing its another.

And I have to admit Hollye that I'm getting sick of people assuming that if you post an article about BFing, that it's an attack on FFing mothers. It is what it is: informing parents of relevant studies that affect their children.

I have BFed and FFed too. Personally I think people need to stop being so defensive.