Less BMI in later life if breastfed

reporter 1222 — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 06:34:17 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Children who are breastfed may be less likely to be obese or have higher BMI as teenagers, even if they are genetically predisposed to the condition.

New research has found that breastfeeding can have a protective effect against infants becoming obese as teenagers, even if they have a genetic predisposition for the condition, AFP reported.

Carried out by researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto, the new study looked at the genetic data and the body mass index (BMI) of 5,266 children in the UK to assess the impact of exclusively breastfeeding, and the duration of breastfeeding, on the BMI of the children from birth to 18 years of age.

The findings, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, showed that when boys whose genes put them in the “high-risk” category for obesity reached 18 years of age, being exclusively breastfed until 5 months of age reduced their BMI by 1.14 kg/m2.

For girls, being breastfed brought an even bigger reduction of 1.53 kg/m2.

However, breastfeeding exclusively until 3 months of age, or receiving a mix of breast milk and formula, did not cause the same reduction in BMI for children with a high-risk for obesity.

Breastfeeding has already been linked to many health benefits for both mothers and babies, including a lower risk of stroke, ovarian cancer, high blood pressure and heart disease for mothers, a lower risk of eczema, food allergies and diabetes for children, and a lower risk of weight gain for both mom and baby. However, the researchers point out that the reasons behind these benefits of breastfeeding are still not clear.

The World Health Organization recommended that mothers exclusively breastfeed their child for the first six months for optimal development and health. However, the team stated that around only 40 percent of babies are breastfed until this age, adding that the new study provides more evidence that exclusively breastfeeding for a longer period of time could bring health benefits for children and should be a priority for those who have a high risk of obesity.

“Obesity is a global problem that is causing a drop in wellness that is straining our health systems,” said author Dr. Laurent Briollais. “Our study shows that while our genes do influence our risk of developing obesity, this predisposition is not irreversible and can be beneficially modified by exclusive breastfeeding.”

The post Less BMI in later life if breastfed appeared first on Iran News Daily.

New breast milk bank opened on World Breastfeeding Week

reporter 1222 — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 08:30:30 +0000

According to studies, breast milk is the best choice for infants and increase their IQ nine notches in comparison with babies who do not consume human milk, the head of Iranian Scientific Breastfeeding Promotion Society, Farid Imanzadeh, said during the ceremony.

He also pointed to emotional links between infants and mothers during breastfeeding, saying, thee breast milk bank is for mothers who cannot feed their babies and provides them with sterilized breast milk.

The bank collects breast milk of volunteer mothers and keeps them after pasteurization and sterilization for infants who cannot be fed with breast milk, he explained.

The first breast milk bank was established in the city of Tabriz, northwestern Iran, in 2016.

Other Iranian cities namely Ahvaz, Mashhad, and Isfahan are also equipped with breast milk banks.

In recent years, mothers tend to use the formula for their newborns, but the health ministry promotes breastfeeding nationwide, the deputy health minister said during the ceremony.

Alireza Raeisi said that breast milk prevents several diseases and is one of the best foods for newborns.

The health ministry plans to prescribe a formula for newborns suffering from diseases or mothers who cannot feed their infants, he said.

“Recent statistics released by the health ministry show 14% growth of breastfeeding in comparison with previous years and we anticipate more growth in the coming years.”

Meanwhile, neonatologist Ali-Akbar Sayyari said breast milk contains several antibodies and is sterile. Breast milk is nutritious enough for a baby after six months of age.

No other diet is recommended during breastfeeding for mothers, he said.

World Breastfeeding Week 2019

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) website, the WBW encourages breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

This year, WHO is working with UNICEF and partners to promote the importance of family-friendly policies to enable breastfeeding and help parents nurture and bond with their children in early life, when it matters most. This includes enacting paid maternity leave for a minimum of 18 weeks, and paid paternity leave to encourage shared responsibility of caring for their children on an equal basis.

Breastfeeding promotes better health for mothers and children alike. Increasing breastfeeding to near-universal levels could save more than 800,000 lives every year, the majority being children under 6 months. Breastfeeding decreases the risk of mothers developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. It is estimated that increased breastfeeding could avert 20,000 maternal deaths each year due to breast cancer.

The post New breast milk bank opened on World Breastfeeding Week appeared first on Iran News Daily.

breastfeeding Archives - Iran News Daily

Less BMI in later life if breastfed

New breast milk bank opened on World Breastfeeding Week