One study reveals that breastfed babies are less likely to be obese than toddlers

What to know about the link between breastfeeding and BMI

When it comes to making sure your child has a healthy weight, it's best to give him a breast when he's a baby.

This is revealed in a study published today on the relationship between infant feeding and weight gain in the first year of life.

The researchers found that breastfeeding was associated with a lower body mass index and a reduced risk of excessive weight gain during the first year of life of an infant.

The benefits of breastfeeding on BMI of infants have been well established, but this study is the first to discover that the duration of an infant's breastfeeding makes a difference.

"Breastfeeding has a greater beneficial effect with longer and more exclusive breastfeeding, which means that everything is better than nothing, and every food counts," Meghan Azad, Ph.D., author Principal of the study and researcher at the Manitoba Research Institute, told Healthline.

"I think it's a positive and important message for mothers. I was surprised to find that the method of feeding breast milk is important: our results show that feeding breast milk from a bottle does not equate to a direct breast feeding (although it is always superior to the food formula). Very few studies make this distinction – this is an important finding that raises new questions for further research, "she said.

Azad and his colleagues studied 2,553 infants between 2009 and 2012. Ninety-seven percent initiated breastfeeding and the median duration of breastfeeding was 11 months. Seventy-four percent of infants received solids before six months.

Partially breastfed babies, receiving expressed breast milk or exclusively maternal preparations, had a higher BMI at the age of three months than exclusively breastfed infants directly.

It has been found that the advantages of breast milk differ between breast milk delivered directly from the breast and milk expressed and administered by the bottle. Azad says it was a surprising discovery.

"There are several possible reasons. First, the bioactive components of breast milk could be degraded during the routine steps between pumping and breastfeeding – that is, pumping, freezing, and thawing, "said Azad.

"Second, breast feeding could promote better self-regulation, as breastfed infants learn to stop feeding when they are full, while bottle-fed infants no matter what." they contain, are often asked to empty the bottle. regulate their own milk consumption. "

Azad said that over time, it may make it more difficult for infants to regulate the amount of food to absorb when they are hungry.

"This could lead to poor self-regulation and increased weight gain even after weaning," Azad said. "Breastfeeding also promotes mother-child bonding, which has important health and health benefits."

Increase in the number of obesity

In the United States, the number of children and adolescents with obesity has tripled since the 1970s. One in three children is overweight or obese, and Azad says most of these are already overweight before entering kindergarten.

"It's clear that obesity prevention strategies need to focus very early in life," she said.

According to Joan Younger Meek, Chair of the Breastfeeding Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfeeding can be a useful foundation for healthy infant development.

"There is no doubt that breast milk is more beneficial to the health and development of the child than the formula," she said.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization unequivocally state that exclusive breastfeeding is preferred for the first six months of life, breastfeeding continues after the introduction of complementary solids for at least one year. or at least two years. (WHO)."

Meek pointed out that infant formula can be a useful alternative to breast milk, but that it is not equivalent.

"There are many protective factors, growth promoting factors, hormones and even whole cells in breast milk that are not found in infant formula," she told Healthline.

Breastfeeding not only helps infants develop their ability to feed when they feel hungry and stop feeding when they are full; it can also help with cognitive development and also plays an important role in the healthy bowel.

"Breastfeeding promotes the optimal development of bacteria present in the baby's intestinal tract, the microbiota, which protects against infection and inflammation," said Meek. "Breastfeeding promotes optimal cognitive development."

Options for moms who can not or do not want to breastfeed

Dr. Jaime Friedman, pediatrician of the California Children's Health Care Group, says that the decision to breastfeed or use preparations is a personal decision that can be influenced by a number of factors and that breastfeeding women can take action. to make sure their child is healthy.

For mothers who can not breastfeed, she says it's important not to overfeed.

"It makes sense to expect a baby to finish a bottle, whatever its content, than to decide when he will finish in the breast without knowing how much he has taken," she said.

Friedman said that new mothers can take clear steps to keep their child healthy, whether they decide to breastfeed or not.

"New mothers have enough to fear. Many people already feel sad or guilty if they can not breastfeed, "she said. "The important thing is to avoid overfeeding or encouraging a baby to finish a bottle if he is not hungry anymore."

The bottom line

Breastfeeding is associated with a healthier body composition during infancy.

This benefit was found to be higher in infants exclusively breastfed for longer and was found to be lower when milk was expressed and bottle-fed, and even lower in infants who were given preparations.