Study dispels common belief breastfeeding helps prevent childhood obesity
12:51 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Some studies have suggested that breast feeding babies can reduce their chances of being overweight later in life.
Based on this evidence, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that increasing breast feeding in America could reduce obesity by as much as 20 percent.
But today a new study calls this claim into question.
Researchers looked at the relationship between breast feeding and weight in more than 35,000 women.
They found that women who were breast fed as babies were no less likely to be obese as adults.
The authors say that breast fed babies do tend to gain weight more slowly during their first year of life, but that these changes do not have a lasting impact.
Breast feeding babies does give them many other health advantages, including a reduced risk of allergies and a stronger immune system.
But breast feeding is not a magic cure for obesity. Kids should still be taught to eat balanced meals and to get daily exercise to maintain a lifelong healthy weight.
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