Research

 

 

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Research and studies on breast milk and breastfeeding:

 

 
  •  This study has important implications for women who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes! The lifetime risk of developing postpartum diabetes. The study included 304 women with gestational diabetes during pregnancy, followed for up to 19 years. Results included the finding that, "The lowest postpartum diabetes risk was observed in women who breastfed for more than 3 months."

     

  • There is ample research which demonstrates a link between what we eat and our risk for developing cancer. Although breastfeeding alone does not completely prevent cancer, there is new evidence which solidifies the link between breastfeeding and the risk of developing childhood cancers. "Nowadays there is a growing body of evidence that prolonged and frequent breastfeeding, the maternal diet during pregnancy and vitamin intake during pregnancy, may impart benefit for reduced cancer risk in children. "
  • This study shows a very significant increased risk for pyloric stenosis (swelling of the muscle letting food out of the stomach that requires surgery to correct) in babies who receive ANY formula in the early days. The risk goes up the more they have.

  • Breast milk is amazing! It actually changes when your nursling is ill, with a statistically significant increase in several components which help your child recover from illness. Read more!

  • This study of the way that breastfeeding is portrayed in fictional television programs is disturbing. It helps explain the continued lack of support for breastfeeding, despite efforts to increase the length of time babies are breastfed.

  • Research: Effect of music on fat and caloric content of breastmilk

  • Breastfeeding: reduces asthma? Two new reports suggest breastfed kids have a lower risk of asthma and better lung function.

  • Oxytocin and Breastfeeding: This opinion piece from the New York Times discusses the importance of oxytocin, and the activities that increase it, including breastfeeding: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/opinion/02brooks.html

  • How To Use Your Hands When You Pump: A recent study done at Stanford University showed that moms who use their hands while pumping can obtain twice the milk supply as "passive" pumpers.  See a video demonstration at: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

  • Breast-Feed the Baby, Love the Calorie Burn: Catherine Saint Louis, New York Times, November 11, 2009 - New York Times Fashion & Style columnist takes a different twist on discussing the benefits of breastfeeding. Read the complete article here. 

  • Breastfeeding increases sleep duration of new parents: Doan T, Gardiner A, Gay CL, Lee KA. Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California at San Francisco - A new study has been released about who gets more sleep - breastfeeding moms or moms who are supplementing formula? Despite cultural myths that moms and dads will sleep more if they give formula, breastfeeding parents actually got more sleep! The abstract can be found here. 

  • UPDATE 2012: Key Findings of the 2005 National Immunization Survey Regarding Breastfeeding Practices: Initiation and Duration of Breastfeeding: National Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control - Recently released statistics from a 2005 survey by state show that 21 states in the United States achieved the national Healthy People 2010 objective of 75% of mothers initiating breastfeeding. CDC maps by state show a significant increase of percentage of babies ever breastfed between 2004 (55 - 64%) and 2005 (equal to or greater than 75%).

  • Breastfeeding May Reduce Mom's Risk for Diabetes: By: Brigham and Women's Hospital - Moms who breastfeed may be protected from Type 2 diabetes. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed infants for at least a year to help a baby's growth, development and overall health. Now a study from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has found benefits for mothers as well. Researchers demonstrated that breastfeeding a child for one year may reduce a woman's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 15 percent. This study appears in the November 23, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

  • Comparison Of Breastmilk and Formula: askdrsears.com - Dr. William Sears - Fat is the most important nutrient in breastmilk; absence of cholesterol and DHA, vital nutrients for growing brains and bodies, may predispose a child to adult heart and central nervous system diseases. Leftover unabsorbed fat accounts for unpleasant stools in formula-fed babies.

  • Fat Content of Breast Milk Increases with Time: By Amanda Gardner - HealthDay Reporter - The longer a mother breast-feeds, the higher the fat and energy content of her breast milk. However, experts are not sure what this finding, which appears in the September issue of Pediatrics, signifies. "This is the first study to analyze the fat and energy content of breast milk of mothers who breastfeed for longer than a year," said study co-author Dr. Ronit Lubetzky, who is with the department of pediatrics at Dana Children's Hospital at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel. "There are more and more women who choose to breast-feed for longer time periods, and there are not many studies about the nutritional value of their milk during this prolonged lactation."

  • The Academy Of Breastfeeding Medicine: Guideline on co-sleeping and breastfeeding - The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is a worldwide organization of physicians dedicated to the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding and human lactation. One of the goals of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is the facilitation of optimal breastfeeding practices. This clinical guideline addresses an aspect of parenting that has a significant impact on breastfeeding: infant sleep locations.

  • Breastfeeding: Best for Baby and Mother Section on Breastfeeding: AAP - Newsletter: Congenital Tongue-Tie and Its Impact on Breastfeeding; Pediatricians Needed to Make National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign Successful; The California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative; Chapter Breastfeeding Coordinator Reports from California, Florida and Indiana

  • Organizational Principles to Guide and Define the Child Health Care System and/or Improve the Health of All Children - Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk: American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement