Who is breast-feeding? Implications of associated social and biomedical variables for research on the consequences of method of infant feeding

Article Abstract:

The popularity of breast-feeding has increased dramatically in recent years; in 1971 only 22 percent of newborns were breast-fed, while over 60 percent are breast-fed today. This trend has prompted researchers to compare the health effects of different infant feeding methods, and to investigate the factors which enter into a mother's decision to breast-feed. It has been acknowledged that demographic, socioeconomic, cultural, psychological, and medical factors influence decisions about infant feeding. In addition, hospital procedures may support or interfere with nursing. One recent survey found that the newborn most likely to be breast-fed was the first child of a wealthy, educated, white woman who worked at least part-time while pregnant and received prenatal care from a private physician. The current study focused upon medical and social variables that affect the mother's decision to breast- or bottle-feed. The data were taken from a national household survey conducted in 1981 by the National Center for Health Statistics. Mothers of children under age five were surveyed, and the results were analyzed separately for black and white women. For all women regardless of race, children born more recently were more likely to have been breast-fed, which reflects the increasing popularity of breast-feeding. The more children the mother had, the less likely she was to breast-feed. Women with more education were more likely to breast-feed. Black and hispanic women chose breast-feeding less often than white women. Some variables had different effects in black versus white women. Babies who required more special medical care were less likely to be breast-fed if white, but more likely to be breast-fed if black. Low birth weight resulted in a lower rate of breast-feeding by black mothers, but had no effect on the feeding method chosen by white mothers. Other factors the survey report associated with the decision to breast- or bottle-feed are discussed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Management, Demographic aspects, Breast feeding, Bottle feeding

---

Weaning foods cannot replace breast milk as sources of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

Article Abstract:

While breastfeeding has gained popularity in recent years, the most frequently used food during the first year of life is still infant formula. Many infants are bottle fed from birth and others are switched from breastfeeding to formula after a period of weeks or months. Formula manufacturers have tried to design formulas that are virtually identical to human milk, but some differences remain. The fats in formulas are generally vegetable oils which do not contain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) over 20 carbons in length, whereas breast milk contains long-chain PUFAs with 20 and 22 carbons. Fatty acids are the structural components of fats, and vary in length according to the number of carbon atoms linked together in a chain. Research on infant nutrition has shown that the 20 and 22 carbon (C) PUFAs are incorporated into red blood cell membranes. Animal studies have suggested these PUFAs may also be required for optimal vision and learning ability. Since infant formulas lack 20-22 C PUFAs, weaning foods were evaluated to see if they could provide these nutrients to bottle-fed babies. Various weaning foods were analyzed; these included canned meat, eggs, and fresh liver and brains. It was practically impossible to match the long-chain PUFA levels in breast milk with any combination of weaning foods. The only feasible way of providing the formula-fed infant with these fatty acids is to add certain fish oils or possibly egg yolks to infant formula. The commonly available fish oils do not contain all the long-chain PUFAs needed; fish from warm waters would be required.

Evaluation, Baby foods, Breast milk, Infant formulas

---

Lower ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids in cultured than in wild fish

Article Abstract:

Consumption of a specific type of fatty acids, the n-3 fatty acids, may lower the risk of coronary heart disease. Certain fish contain large amounts of the n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid; fish are the most important food source of these polyunsaturated fats. Fish obtain these fatty acids from the food chain and also manufacture them. Wild fish are becoming less plentiful as fishing grounds are depleted, and as a result more pond-reared or cultured fish are being sold. The commercial feeds fed to cultured fish usually supply less n-3 fatty acids than natural food sources. Little research has been done to assess whether pond-reared fish supply less n-3 fatty acids than wild fish and the data that have been reported are contradictory. A study that analyzed 114 trout, eel and salmon found that wild fish did supply more n-3 fatty acids than their cultured counterparts. While for two species, eel and salmon, the cultured fish had 50 percent more body fat, the ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids was two to three times higher in all three species of wild fish than the cultured fish. Thus wild fish appear to be more valuable as part of a diet designed to prevent coronary heart disease than cultured fish. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Coronary heart disease, Lipids, Fish oils in human nutrition, Fish oils, Lipids in nutrition

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Cost-effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies to gram-negative endotoxin in the treatment of gram-negative sepsis in ICU patients
• Abstracts: Hepatitis B virus infection among children born in the United States to Southeast Asian refugees. Influenza vaccination for healthy young adults
• Abstracts: Effects of a very-low-calorie diet on metabolic control and cardiovascular risk factors in the treatment of obese non-insulin-dependent diabetics
• Abstracts: The impact of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic on the philosophy of childbirth. Factors predicting severe perineal trauma during childbirth: Role of forceps delivery routinely combined with mediolateral episiotomy
• Abstracts: Effect of magnesium on cocaine-induced, catecholamine-medicated platelet and vascular response in term pregnant ewes

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.