Breast is best for babies to avoid adult diseases

BABIES who are breastfed will be less likely to suffer from heart disease or obesity later in life, a scientific study has revealed.

Research carried out over a 20-year period showed babies fed on breast milk grew more slowly than those on formula and, as a result, became healthier adults.

The report, published in The Lancet, said babies who grow fast regardless of their weight at birth are at a higher risk of heart disease and strokes in adulthood.

The study examined 216 teenagers aged between 13 and 16 who were given either breast milk or formula as babies in the early 1980s.

Those teenagers given breast milk as babies had a 14% lower level of cholesterol than those who consumed formula.

Scientists also assessed evidence of the c-reactive protein (CRP) which, when found in high concentrations, is linked with atherosclerosis, an arterial disease.

The condition causes the fatty degeneration of the arterial wall and can lead to cardiovascular disease. Breastfed babies had lower CRP than those who had formula.

Scientists found rapid growth early in life, promoted by nutrient enriched diets, made the adolescents prone to certain health conditions which increased the risk of heart disease. These conditions include obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a tendency towards diabetes.

The study was carried out by Atul Singhal from the Institute of Child Health and Professor Alan Lucas from the Medical Research Council (MRC).

"The evidence is very strong and supports a clear message. Slower growth as a baby reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in adult life and the best way to achieve this is to breastfeed," said Prof Lucas, director of the MRC's Childhood Nutrition Research Centre. "A number of recent theories about the importance of early life for later health have been based on observations. But randomised clinical trials are the best way to provide proof and determine the best health practices," he said. Prof Lucas said using this randomised approach, they put babies on the different diets and then followed them into adult life. "Such studies had not been done before and have taken us over 20 years." he said.

"Our findings suggest that breast milk feeding has a major beneficial effect on long-term cardiovascular health." Ireland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. Over half of Irish women never attempt breastfeeding, compared with 29% in England and 2% in Sweden.

During the 1970s, the number of women in Ireland who breastfed was about 20%, now the national average is 40%. Mary Bird of the La Leche League national breastfeeding committee, said: "all breastfeeding women, and those who support them, will welcome these findings because it enforces what all women who breastfeed their babies know from seeing their babies thrive.

"It is very encouraging that the scientific and medical community are becoming more focused at looking at the advantages of breastfeeding and the health implications beyond infancy into adulthood," said Ms Bird.

She said these recent findings back up the growing body of evidence in favour of breastfeeding.

MORE Irish women would breastfeed their babies for longer if they had access to better support and information, according to an organisation aimed at promoting breastfeeding.

Mary Bird, who is part of the La Leche League's national breastfeeding committee, said that while more mums were willing to try breastfeeding, a high number stopped after just a couple of weeks.

"In the 1970s the number of breastfeeding mums in Ireland was as low as 20%. Now the national average is around 40%, as women become more aware of the benefits of breastfeeding. However, there is a high fall-off after the first, second and third week as the women run into problems," Ms Bird said.

"Women in the first couple of weeks run into problems because they have no supports. They might not feel comfortable or fear they are not producing enough milk. This is because of the massive fall-off in breastfeeding mums over the last two generations. Women need to have somewhere to go to find out what is normal during breastfeeding," she said.

She said that 80% of mothers who attended just two La Leche League meetings went on to breastfeed their babies for six months, which is the Department of Health recommended time frame.

She called for an action plan at a national level to help women pass these first few weeks. She felt that special hotlines should be created so that women who are experiencing problems would have an immediate point of contact.

"We all know the benefits of providing babies with breast milk, from a family, community and health point of view. Of course you can breastfeed without support, but with the right support and information, women might feel better able to do it for longer," Ms Bird said.

Aggressive marketing campaigns by the baby formula companies in the 1960s and 1970s persuaded women that bottle feeding was best. Breastfeeding became associated with being too poor to be able to provide the best for your baby. "Two generations of women were lost to the benefits of breastfeeding. We need similar marketing campaigns now and supports to encourage women to breastfeed their babies," she said.

La Leche League can be contacted on 01 4941279 or 021 4552357, and can be found in the telephone book. Its website is www.lalecheleague.org.