Breast milk, formula and obesity?

[iwantabub]

So I was watching the show "the doctors" just now and they said there is a definite link between formula fed children and obesity in late child hood.

Studies show that breast fed babies that are bfed for at least 6 months have a much lower chance of being over weight or obese in their childhood and early adulthood.

I found this really surprising... I plan to bf for as long as I can but I was adopted and always formula fed and I've never suffered any issues I feel from it...

Just thought I'd post as I found it very interesting!

 

[Tami]

I've read so many "Formula feeding makes children...*insert something bad here*" but I think there are too many other variables involved to ever truly research it, they look at a token example of children, not taking into account their genetics, how they're fed after formula, parenting styles, health issues and other factors that could also influence weight, intelligence, etc.
I would definitely question the validity of the study and would love to see their actual research because I bet there are some serious flaws in there! We get a lot of "scientific studies" tossed at us from every direction and most of them conflict with each other or are disproved a couple of years later.
Like you said most people I know haven't suffered from being formula fed either. I think obesity stems more from the diet after milk than the milk itself. Next it'll be something like "formula feeding increases the chance of you turning into a werewolf", lol.

 

[Annie77]

As someone who critiques medical & social research, believe me when I say there is evidence out there to support most theories ie if you want to prove something, you will find figures to support your argument if you look hard enough. Breastfeeding benefits and triple vaccine seem to be the big arguments on parenting forums but there are loads of articles for and against hundreds of medical interventions and treatments!

All too often people read medical research that breastfeeding leads to children who are more intelligent, less likely to be obese and healthier in general. There is also loads of sociology research that shows breastfeeding is more commonly found in upper working to upper middle classes - where people tend to be better educated, eat better diets due to better income and there are less socioeconomic health issues such as asthma, glue ear, skin problems, behavioural problems which can all be caused by poor living conditions, insufficient diet, passive smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy.

Personally I think there is just about as much nurture vs nature to the breastfeeding claims. If somebody wants to breastfed - great but there are people out there who do breastfeed and still their babies develop allergies, educational challenges and obesity.

I guess my view is do what feels right for you and your children and sod the research!

 

[Louloubelle78]

I'm hoping to BF my baby, however if for some reason I can't, I'm not going to beat myself up over it!

I was a formula fed baby (my mother just couldn't produce milk) and I don't think it hampered me in any way: I was never an obese child/adult, and I'd like to think I'm quite clever too (I have a good academic record) lol! So I don't believe all I've read about formulas under developing babies/children in some way or another.

The reason why I want to BF is to have that special close contact with my baby

 

[summer rain]

Actually the studies on BF do take into account variables such as class and educational level of parents etc and results are adjusted accordingly. Also in other countries it isn't the more wealthy or more educated who tend to BF, and may even be the opposite (seen as something 'poor' people who cannot afford formula do). Studies in these countries have found similar benefits. In my own family my two siblings who were mainly formula fed did suffer from repeated ear infections and childhood illnesses which has led to them suffering from long term reduced hearing, my family were not poor by any means nor did my parents smoke or anything like that. If breastfeeding had no plusses as is often claimed then why do formula companies work so hard on making various components of their product as close to breastmilk as possible? Xx

 

[special_kala]

The research will be correct and alot of the time is taken from countries where it isnt just upper class educated people are more likely to BF.

That said it is just numbers and statistics. My BF child is far more poorly then my FF child but my FF child is and always has been much bigger then average where as my BF one is smaller then average.

 

[special_kala]

Breastfed babies are the biological norm so formula will increase the risk of alot of things rather then formula decreasing the risk iykwim.

 

[iwantabub]

I find it all very interesting...

I personally feel like if ya can why wouldn't ya... Mostly coz it costs nothing lol.. And is what babies were meant to eat so u know its good... Then no worries about all these recalls on formula and stuff that can happen...

However as I said I was totally formula fed. .. A straight a student and healthy as u can expect a childhood to be really so I think it's totally dependant on the child as well

 

[special_kala]

Breastfeeding is natural disaster proof too :wink:

 

[Piper84]

I think there's probably quite a simple explanation for this as well. BF babies engineer it so that their mothers' milk production fits their needs as best as possible, so they always get just about the right amount (hind milk and foremilk etc.). FF babies are often said to sleep better and longer because they are always full after a feed. If you are used to the feeling of being full all the time, you tend to need to eat more to get to that stage. Why wouldn't this continue to have an effect later on in life?

 

[Dragonfly]

A lot of parents I noticed in hospitals here and friends over feed a formula fed baby and they throw up a lot due to this also.People freaking their baby only took a bit of milk when their stomachs are small. Where as breastfed on demand baby has control over food and stops when finished. I done a lot of researching after I started breastfeeding as I was going to formula feed and happy I choose to breastfeed with all its benefits. Myself and partner have a lot of health problems which weighed on the decision to stick to it also. Both my boys I noticed are smaller than other children so far and lean. Which sadly gets picked on . Both healthy and fit though.

 

[Mum2BKW]

Is there any correlation between when breast fed and formula fed babies are weaned?

It would make sense to me that this might have more of an impact on the child's diet/relationship with food. I don't believe that it would make a difference which type of milk a baby was given before that point.

I also think that if FF babies tend to be 'overfed' then why would this trend stop once they are weaned? If the parents always feed baby until it is too full to eat any more then this is what they will learn about mealtimes, surely this is more of a trigger than the milk itself? If a breastfed baby drinks expressed milk from a bottle and similarly overfeeds I would imagine the trend towards obesity would be the same (assuming this overfeeding is the cause).

As you can tell, I believe it's much more to do with the amount baby is given and what baby learns about food (is food given as a reward, are they allowed pudding or snacks if they don't eat their main meal etc) than what type of milk they were given as a baby.

 

[summer rain]

Yes there is some evidence that bottles are part of the problem and that even babies exclusively fed breastmilk via bottle are also more prone to over feeding however I am not sure if it is only the bottles that are a factor as other research has shown that FF babies tend to put down the 'wrong' type of fat as well (I forget whether that is brown fat or white fat) xx

 

[CatherineK]

Every time one of these studies comes out, it seems to cause controversy. Yes, most bottle fed/formula fed babies thrive just perfectly fine, but it's simply common sense that breastmilk has advantages on average over artificially produced replacements. That is not a shocker. Yet people spend soooo much time and effort trying to debunk these studies.

 

[Dragonfly]

Where I am a healthy child is an over weight one. They like fattening kids up for some reason which is why mine get so many comments on not being fat. Its annoying. Least the hv scrapped weighing them when my second was born. Family are scathing, all have weight problems. All formula fed or formula feeding. And I have a friend who is being pushed to formula by SS because her baby lost weight which I was told that was normal at the beginning but that never happened to me. If her baby loses weight once more as she has baby on formula now too the case will be reopened. So she will eventually stop breastfeeding. Not to mention further on down the line after formula feeding as much as parents can to ensure their child is getting a lot they make their children eat everything too on the plate. I dont know healthy eating patters as that happened to me too. The thing was to make us sleep cereal and all sorts in a bottle so we where full at bed time. This all increases obesity.

 

[aimee-lou]

Where I am a healthy child is an over weight one. They like fattening kids up for some reason which is why mine get so many comments on not being fat. Its annoying. Least the hv scrapped weighing them when my second was born. Family are scathing, all have weight problems. All formula fed or formula feeding. And I have a friend who is being pushed to formula by SS because her baby lost weight which I was told that was normal at the beginning but that never happened to me. If her baby loses weight once more as she has baby on formula now too the case will be reopened. So she will eventually stop breastfeeding. Not to mention further on down the line after formula feeding as much as parents can to ensure their child is getting a lot they make their children eat everything too on the plate. I dont know healthy eating patters as that happened to me too. The thing was to make us sleep cereal and all sorts in a bottle so we where full at bed time. This all increases obesity.

I think this is more of the problem than the FF in itself. Everything can be mis-used, so I agree entirely that it's the attitude towards food and healthy body image which is just as much to blame.

I've FF'd from birth with both of my two, and while they started off big boys, Earl is currently only 2st9.5lb. He's been this weight for the best part of a year. Eddy is about 29lb, so 2st1lb, only 8lb behind his brother, but he's already beginning to slim off as he gets active and grows taller. They are both tall for their age too, but even I occasionally get comments that Earl needs some 'meat on his bones' He's on the 75th%ile according to his book!

 

[Dragonfly]

I agree not the formula the over feeding thats the problem.

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

They just recently released results from a study that did not find that breastfeeding reduced obesity:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/257561.php

Parents need to be more concerned about what they feed their kids as they get older if obesity is a worry; of course if they eat junk food and aren't given healthy, fresh food or a chance to play and exercise (less TV, more playground time!) there is a good chance they're going to be overweight. The United States and our eating/exercising habits are a good example!

 

[summer rain]

That is just one study and other health advantages to BF were found from the results. I am quite overweight but others in my family who were FF are often more overweight or even morbidly obese. My OH was FF and has struggled with his weight all his adult life, he wasn't brought up to overeat in fact he was raised in a poor household initially abroad in a developing country and then later on over here. There is definitely a difference with the few BF babies in his extended family and the FF ones. My second youngest was FF from 3.5 months and looks extremely slim however that does not negate the research just as people living until they are 110 despite smoking and drinking heavily since their teens doesn't negate all the research on smoking and drinking. Xx

 

[Loobylola]

So I was watching the show "the doctors" just now and they said there is a definite link between formula fed children and obesity in late child hood.

Studies show that breast fed babies that are bfed for at least 6 months have a much lower chance of being over weight or obese in their childhood and early adulthood.

I found this really surprising... I plan to bf for as long as I can but I was adopted and always formula fed and I've never suffered any issues I feel from it...

Just thought I'd post as I found it very interesting!

Did they explain wh they think this is the case?