Breastfeeding News and Research

Latest Breastfeeding News and Research

Poorer women less likely to breastfeed babes

According to a new study by Australian researchers, poorer women are less likely to breastfeed than they were a decade ago.

1 Sep 2008

Exclusive breastfeeding increases child's risk for vitamin D deficiency; black, darker-skinned children already have increased risk

Exclusive breastfeeding can increase a child's risk of developing rickets because breast milk alone does not provide adequate levels of vitamin D, a critical ingredient that helps to absorb calcium and build strong bones, the New York Times reports. Rickets develops when a child's vitamin D levels are too low and is characterized by the curving of a child's legs and the softening of other bones. Some children are asymptomatic.

28 Aug 2008

Researchers partner with moms to overcome breastfeeding obstacles

The message, "breast is best" may be familiar and powerful, but it's not enough to get some women to breastfeed. A new University of Rochester Medical Center project creates a partnership with mothers who are not likely to breastfeed exclusively, and tries to improve the rates by first understanding their perspective and obstacles.

27 Aug 2008

Breastfeeding could reduce risk of aggressive form of breast cancer that disproportionately affects black, younger women

Breastfeeding for at least six months might lower the risk of developing so-called "triple negative" breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that is more common in black and younger women, according to a study published on Monday in the journal Cancer, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports (Paulson, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/24).

26 Aug 2008

Breastfeeding, other factors may affect risk of breast cancer type

Factors such as age at menopause as well as a woman's breastfeeding practices can influence her risk of developing certain types of breast cancer. That was the conclusion of a new study published in the October 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results suggest that there are distinct and separate hormonal risk factors associated with different subtypes of breast cancer.

25 Aug 2008

Codeine use may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers

Using pain treatments which contain codeine may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers, according to researchers at The University of Western Ontario, and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto.

20 Aug 2008

New research suggests inherited diabetes may play a role in rising rates

A new study in the September issue of the Journal of Lipid Research suggests an unusual form of inheritance may have a role in the rising rate of diabetes, especially in children and young adults, in the United States.

20 Aug 2008

In-depth review of current research on the health effects of vitamin D

Despite considerable progress in research to understand the health effects of vitamin D, experts convened by the NIH to review the available data found major gaps in the evidence. The data are strongest in the area of bone health among elderly men and post-menopausal women, suggesting that increased vitamin D intake can improve bone health and prevent falls. For other age groups and health issues, though, it is too early to say conclusively whether more vitamin D might be beneficial.

12 Aug 2008

New funding to improve UK's breastfeeding rate

The extra funding, announced during World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 August), will help improve the UK's breastfeeding rate that is among the lowest in Europe, and in particular help mums in deprived areas.

6 Aug 2008

Mother support maximizes life-saving benefits of breastfeeding in all countries of the Americas and the World

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life is the best and most cost-effective intervention to provide newborns with the nutrients they need, and to improve infant and children survival rates.

31 Jul 2008

NZ Ministry of Health, mums and babies take part in big latch on

The New Zealand Ministry of Health is walking the talk by taking part in tomorrow's nationwide breastfeeding promotion - the Big Latch On.

31 Jul 2008

Experts say women are damaging their breasts by wearing the wrong bra

Experts suggest that women could be damaging their breasts by wearing the wrong type of bra and some women cause breast pain or discomfort by not buying the right-sized bra.

28 Jul 2008

Breastfed babies get a taste for good food

Danish researchers say babies who are breastfed get a taste for fruit and vegetables from their mother's milk and are more likely to be healthy.

24 Jul 2008

Oxytocin may inhibit social phobia

Swedish and British scientists have shown using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that the hormone oxytocin can inhibit feelings of anxiety in specific individuals. Their discovery might lead to a better understanding and the improved treatment of psychiatric affections in which people feel distressed when meeting others, such as in cases of autism and social phobia.

20 Jul 2008

Pregnancy increases risk of acute myocardial infarction

Although acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is rare in women of child-bearing age, pregnancy can increase a woman's risk of heart attack 3- to 4-fold, according to a study published in the July 15, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

8 Jul 2008

You are not what you eat.....you are what your mother ate!

According to new research, you are not what you eat - but rather what your mother ate when she was having you!

1 Jul 2008

Poor diet while pregnant can harm your baby

We all know that smoking and drinking when pregnant can harm the baby, but new research published in The Journal of Physiology suggests that poor diet may also cause long-lasting, irreversible damage in offspring from heart disease to diabetes.

30 Jun 2008

Childhood prognosis of heart disease in later life

Heart diseases are one of the major causes of death in the western world. Research is under way in the University of Leicester Engineering Department, in collaboration with The Leicester Royal Infirmary, to analyse the heart rate variability of 10 year- old children, in an attempt to identify heart diseases at an early stage.

23 Jun 2008

Religious, cultural issues affecting efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, U.N. report says

Inter Press Service recently examined a report released by the United Nations Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa last week at the U.N. 2008 High Level Meeting on AIDS.

17 Jun 2008

Prenatal nutrition and nutrition during childhood interact to alter puberty

A high-fat diet during pregnancy and nursing may lead to the child having an early onset of puberty and subsequent adulthood obesity, according to a new animal study. The results were presented Monday, June 16, at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

16 Jun 2008