Nutritional Benefits of Breast Milk

One of the first and most important decisions for new mothers is choosing whether to breastfeed or formula feed their newborn baby. While there is no wrong choice, the American Academy of Pediatrics together with both the American Dietetic Association and the World Health Organization recommend breastfeeding babies exclusively for the first 6 months of age up until 1 year. The benefits of breast milk are as follows:

Nutrition & Digestion: Breast milk is ideal for a baby’s digestive system since it is composed of protein (whey and casein), lactose, and fat which are easily digested by a newborn’s system. Consequently, this results in fewer occurrences of constipation and diarrhea. More than half of the calories in breast milk come from fat and is thus ideal for infants due to their high energy requirement. Breast milk contains all the natural vitamins and minerals required by your growing baby. Although commercial formula’s are regulated by the FDA to match the ingredients in breast milk, there is no substitute for what nature provides due to the complexity of the substances found in breast milk.

Immunity: The antibodies in breast milk that are passed on during nursing can help protect a newborn from conditions such as meningitis, and ear and respiratory infections. Approximately 80% of the cells in breast milk are macrophages—specialized white blood cells that attack bacteria and viruses. Thus, breast milk can provide barriers to other types of infections and help to decrease bacteria and viruses in the body. It’s possible that breast milk may also protect children against allergies, diabetes, asthma, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In addition, breast milk is always sterile and is never contaminated, whereas a bottle could be exposed to environmental pollutants that can cause diarrhea in a newborn.

Prevention of Obesity: According to the National Women’s Health Information Center (part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services), studies indicate that breast milk may help prevent both childhood and adult obesity. This is due to the amount of milk actually consumed and suggests that breastfed babies gain less unnecessary weight, which may aid in the prevention of obesity as they grow older.

References:

• U.S. Food & Drug Administration. FDA Consumer Magazine. June 1995.
• Barbara P. Homeier, MD. “Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding”. Kids Health Organization. July 2005.

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