Saint John Paul II endorsed the UNICEF recommendation that mothers breastfeed their children “up to the second year of life or beyond” because “the overwhelming body of research is in favor of natural feeding rather than its substitutes.” (May 12, 1995)
Among breastfeeding mothers, those who ovulated earlier had a lower percentage of body fat in early lactation than did later ovulating mothers. (Journal of Human Lactation, online January 16, 2015) Sheila: Unfortunately, the types of breastfeeding were not discussed.
Longer breastfeeding duration is associated with happy body expressions, whereas shorter breastfeeding duration is associated with fearful body expressions. These findings suggest that breastfeeding experience can shape the way in which infants respond to emotional signals. (Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, online January 22, 1015)
Predominant breast-feeding lowers the risk of obesity in Korean preschool children. (Nursing & Health Sciences, February 5, 2015)
Breast-feeding helps prepare babies to eat solid food by creating a healthy population of bacteria in the digestive tract. (Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, February 5, 2015)
Breastfeeding, in the absence of formula feeding, appears to have a protective effect on childhood obesity among Canadian school children. The researchers said: “Strategies and social policies are needed to promote exclusive and longer breastfeeding duration and should be integrated with comprehensive efforts to prevent childhood obesity and to reduce the burden of chronic diseases in the long term.” (Journal of Maternal Child Health, February 6, 2015)
Breastfeeding may have long-term protective effects on hospitalization for respiratory tract infections after infancy, but not for diarrhea. (“Long-Term Effects of Breastfeeding on Children’s Hospitalization for Respiratory Tract Infections and Diarrhea in Early Childhood in Japan,” Journal of Maternal Child Health, February 6, 2015)
Breastfeeding for more than 6 months has positive effects on cardio-respiratory fitness among Iranian students and may be a predictor for “adolescence physical health.” (Journal of Maternal Fetal Neonatal Medicine, Feb 6, 2015)
Promoting longer breastfeeding duration may be a strategy for women who have gained a lot of weight in pregnancy and had high birthweight infants to mitigate offspring’s obesity risk. (Journal of Epidemiology Community Health, Online February 13, 2015)
In rural Pakistan, perinatal depression is associated with early cessation of exclusive breastfeeding but not reduced milk production. (Maternal Child Nutrition, February 16, 2015)
The combination of hormones, cells and antibodies fed to a baby through the mother’s breast milk provides a number of protections for the baby. Bacteria introduced into the baby’s gut through breastfeeding is important because exposure to these microorganisms in the first months after birth help stimulate the baby’s immune system. (Annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, February 22, 2015)
Babies who are breastfed have lower arsenic exposure than babies who are fed formula. (Environmental Health Perspectives, online February 23, 2015)
Breastfeeding for 12 months or longer lowered the risk of developing type 1 diabetes among newborns. (“Infant Feeding in Relation to Islet Autoimmunity and Type 1 Diabetes in Genetically Susceptible Children: The MIDIA Study” Diabetes Care, Feb. 27, 2015; 38:257-263)
Sheila Kippley
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor