Breastfeeding and Formula-Feeding....Digesting all the Facts.
by Kate Kahn - 06th December 2007
When digesting all the facts about breastfeeding versus formula-feeding, I've learned that it's important to think about what's not being said. For instance, this past spring the federal Agency for Healthcare Quality Research published a report evaluating research on breastfeeding and children's health. Researchers looked at more than nine-thousand studies and reviews. What they found is that breastfed babies had few ear, gastrointestinal tract, and severe lower respiratory tract infections than formula-fed ones and were less prone to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), obesity, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, childhood leukemia, early-childhood asthma and atopic dermatitis (a skin disorder that causes eczema).
But this is where we have to be careful. What often goes unreported is the fact that the researchers say none of their findings imply causality. In other words, there may be reasons for the statistics other than being fed formula.
For example, there's no scientific consensus as to what causes SIDS. A recent L.A. Times article states: "A leading hypothesis is that some babies are born with a brain stem abnormality that affects their ability to respond when they're not getting enough oxygen. The AHRQ researchers point out that babies who are prone to SIDS may also have difficulty with breast-feeding -- which could explain the difference in SIDS rates between breast-fed and bottle-fed babies."
The article goes onto give other examples. "In some cases, health differences may be related to the bottle itself. For example, breast-fed babies may be less likely to be obese later in life because overzealous bottle-feeding interferes with babies' ability to stop eating when they're full, said Dr. Laurence Grummer-Strawn, chief of maternal and child nutrition for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "
And while there seems to be a body of evidence that breastfed babies get fewer ear infections, "There's discussion that the way the baby is positioned during feeding may be different," Grummer-Strawn said. Some parents bottle-feed their baby in a lying-down position, which may allow fluid to pool in the middle ear and contribute to ear infections."
I'm not saying that breastfeeding isn't best for your child. I breastfed one of mine and couldn't for long with the other. What I am saying is that you can find studies to substantiate almost any point of view when it comes to the issue of how to feed your child. The reality is, it would be unethical to conduct a scientific study where one instructs half the subjects not to breastfeed. The important thing is to understand the possibility of mitigating circumstances.
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