Infant Formula Warning: Why Breastfeeding is Best

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Infant Formula Warning: Why Breastfeeding is Best

 

NewsTarget.com

BY: Alexis Black

http://www.newstarget.com/019338.html

 

April 5 2006

 

Infant formula warning: The poisoning of infants with formula

products, andwhy breastfeeding is best

 

Over the years, countless studies have shown that when it comes to

infant

nutrition, breast milk is best. This fact remains true, as there is

simply

no infant formula product on the market that can match the superior

nutrition of mother's milk. In fact, some infant formulas actually

contain

ingredients that can be harmful to your baby.

 

Although some formula recipes have improved over time for mothers

who must

rely on formula to feed their new baby, many products are still

loaded with

unhealthy and even dangerous ingredients, making breastfeeding the

best way

to go for new mothers who have the option.

 

In Massachusetts, public health authorities have taken steps to

encourage

breastfeeding by restricting the marketing of baby formula in the

state's

hospital maternity wards.

 

In many hospitals across the country, new mothers are given

complimentary

gift baskets during their stay that often contain free samples of

infant

formula, supplied by formula companies. This is a practice

Massachusetts

health authorities see as a clever marketing trick, since it implies

that

the hospital's healthcare providers, in giving new mothers this gift,

endorse the use of formula.

 

To combat the practice, the state has decided that while free

formula may be

made available to mothers who need it, it will no longer be added to

gift

baskets for all new mothers. The restrictions are part of a larger

state

initiative to educate women about the benefits of breastfeeding,

reports The

Boston Globe.

 

So, what are some of those benefits? For starters, there is the

special

infant-mother bond forged through breastfeeding that may not be

achieved

when a child is fed formula, but, beyond that, there are important

health

reasons why breast milk is best.

 

Infants are designed to drink their mother's milk. They are not

meant to

have cow's milk or anything other than their mother's milk in their

early

lives. Only breast milk contains the nutrients a healthy baby needs,

including 160 fatty acids that are not found in baby formula.

The nutrition a child is given at infancy makes a lasting

impression, too.

Research shows babies who are breastfed have lower incidences, later

in

life, of chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes and even cancer, as

well as

a reduced risk for severe communicable diseases like pneumonia,

diarrhea and

ear infections.

 

A mother's own health can benefit from breastfeeding her child, as

well. In

addition to having a happy and healthy baby, moms who breastfeed

often have

less bleeding after the birth, lose their pregnancy weight faster and

experience better bone strength, with fewer hip fractures later in

life.

They may also have reduced risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

Although there is some concern that breast milk itself has become

contaminated in our modern world, it is still the superior choice,

according

to research. An analysis of breastfeeding conducted by the

Environmental

Working Group shows that chemicals like PCBs and PBDEs that

accumulate in a

woman's body fat are often found in trace amounts in breast milk,

since

breast milk is made up of fat from a mother's body. However, the

levels of

chemicals typically found in breast milk pose less of a threat than

the

risks associated with feeding a new baby formula.

 

That's because, as mentioned earlier, babies are not designed to

drink

formula or juice or any other liquids besides mom's milk when they

are born,

and if they do, poor health consequences can result.

 

Have you ever looked at the ingredients label on a container of baby

formula? Oftentimes, there are things in there that we, as adults,

shouldn't

even be eating -- hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and

cow's

milk, just to name a few. These are ingredients that promote chronic

disease, and yet we are feeding them to our very youngest consumers,

who

have no say in the matter.

 

Of particular concern in formula is the ingredient manganese, a

neurotoxic

chemical found in much higher concentrations in baby formula,

particularly

soy-based formulas, than in breast milk. According to the EWG, soy-

based

formulas contain about 80 times as much manganese as mother's milk,

while

animal-based formulas contain about 30 times more. Elevated

manganese levels

have been linked to behavioral problems, such as Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) later in life. Babies are not able to

absorb

and excrete excess manganese during the first year of life,

according to the

EWG.

 

Besides the harmful ingredients we know are in baby formula, there

are

other, less certain risk factors involved with formula feeding, as

well.

For example, chemical and bacterial contaminants can come into play

when

bottle feeding infants. Mixing powdered infant formula with water

from the

tap, or even bottled drinking water, can open the door to numerous

water

contaminants, including chlorine byproducts, pesticides, lead,

solvents,

arsenic or nitrates from fertilizer runoff. Similar contaminants may

also be

found on bottles, nipples or even in the formula itself.

Some formulas may contain excessive levels of metals like aluminum,

cadmium,

lead or worse. The Natural Resources Defense Council reports the

following:

" In the past, (baby formula) recalls have been ordered because of

contamination with substances such as broken glass, fragments of

metal and

salmonella and other bacteria. The fungal toxin aflatoxin has also

been

detected in some commercial formulas. Although detected levels were

very

low, this toxin is known to cause cancer and is not present in

breast milk. "

Infant formula is so unhealthy for babies, the Natural Resources

Defense

 

Council directly blames aggressive marketing of infant formula in

underdeveloped countries for " an epidemic of infant death from

malnutrition

and diarrheal illness, a result of the contaminated water used to

dilute or

reconstitute formula. "

 

The formula industry is an $8 billion a year business, but the price

of

using infant formula in place of breast milk may reach much higher

than

that, as it may mean harming young and innocent lives.

 

Many mothers are choosing not to breastfeed, simply because they see

formula

as a more convenient option. But are you really willing to sacrifice

the

health of your new baby for the sake of convenience?

 

If you are medically unable to breastfeed for any reason, do your

homework

and find a formula you can trust to be the next best thing for your

baby. If

you can breastfeed, do. Not only will it forge a special connection

between

you and your child, but the natural choice is also the best choice

for you

and your baby's health.

 

 

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