Breastfeeding News and Research

Latest Breastfeeding News and Research

More than a third of low- and middle-income countries face double burden of malnutrition

A new approach is needed to help reduce undernutrition and obesity at the same time, as the issues become increasingly connected due to rapid changes in countries' food systems.

16 Dec 2019

Study finds African children are growing better because of America’s Feed the Future program

A new Stanford study published on December 11, 2019, in the BMJ, says that Feed the Future is indeed making an impact on over 2 million children in sub-Saharan Africa, who have been saved from experiencing malnutrition with its related issues. Feed the Future is a US governmental program that focuses on reducing global hunger and ensuring greater food security.

12 Dec 2019

Drops containing a specific probiotic strain can reduce colic in infants

Probiotics--or "good bacteria"--have been used to treat infant colic with varying success. In a new trial published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, investigators have shown that drops containing a particular probiotic strain (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12) reduced the duration of daily crying by more than 50% in 80% of the 40 infants who received the probiotic once daily for 28 days.

4 Dec 2019

Early introduction to allergenic foods can prevent food allergies in certain infants

Research undertaken by King's College London and St George's, University of London has found that introducing certain foods early to infants can prevent them from developing an allergy despite low adherence to an introduction regime.

4 Dec 2019

Study explores whether disability is a risk factor for miscarriage

A new study compared the proportion of women with any cognitive, physical, or independent living disability who experienced a miscarriage during the previous 5-year period to women without disabilities.

3 Dec 2019

California’s working mothers get stronger support for workplace lactation

Katie Woody's firstborn, Oliver, struggled from birth to latch onto her breast, so she had little choice but to pump her milk and feed it to him from a bottle.

26 Nov 2019

New findings could help clinicians to improve care for pregnant women and new mums with depression

Professor Sue Jordan from the University's College of Human and Health Science, who led the study, says the findings could be used to help clinicians improve care for women during pregnancy and after they have given birth.

20 Nov 2019

Researchers detect photoinitiators in human breast milk

Photoinitators (PIs) are compounds used in the ink of many types of food packaging. The substances have been shown to migrate into food and, when consumed, show up in human blood serum.

20 Nov 2019

Intermittent fasting – not just a fad for cardiac patients

A new study suggests patients with cardiac catheterization have a longer lifespan if they carry out intermittent fasting.

20 Nov 2019

Study reports complications relating to tongue-tie procedures in babies

Complications following a procedure to treat tongue-tie in babies are occurring that can result in admission to hospital, something a University of Otago pediatrician says needs to be better understood by both health practitioners and parents.

19 Nov 2019

Study examines sexual harassment among physicians and other faculty at academic medical center

A new study has shown that the majority of women (82.5%) and men (65.1%) working at an academic medical center reported at least one incident of sexual harassment by staff, students, and faculty during the previous year.

18 Nov 2019

Medicaid tweak might offer means to improve U.S. maternal health

When Madavia Johnson gave birth to Donald Ray Dowless III last year, she was hit by a case of severe postpartum anxiety.

13 Nov 2019

FIRS calls for an end to preventable deaths from pneumonia

In support of World Pneumonia Day, Nov. 12, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, of which the American Thoracic Society is a member, calls for an end to preventable pneumonia deaths, ensuring equitable access to interventions for prevention and control of pneumonia.

12 Nov 2019

Skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby after C-section has risks

It was widely accepted that putting the newborn baby on the mother’s chest promotes skin-to-skin contact and bonding between the two who share the common experience of birth, and enhances the chances of successful breastfeeding, after a Cesarean section. However, from the viewpoint of anesthesiologists, who oversee the critical part of keeping the mother pain-free yet healthy during the surgical procedure, this introduces unnecessary risks.

10 Nov 2019

Nutritional supplements decrease child mortality

More than half of child deaths worldwide stem from preventable causes, such as adverse effects from malnutrition.

8 Nov 2019

Multidisciplinary program in conflict zone improves childhood nutrition

A study led by a researcher at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health finds that a multidisciplinary program within a conflict zone in Armenia was successful in improving several measures of childhood nutrition. Results appear in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

7 Nov 2019

Study highlights importance of public health efforts to reduce maternal obesity

In a study published in Pediatric Obesity, a child's high and increasing body mass index between ages two and six years was strongly associated with pre-pregnancy obesity and overweight in the child's mother; modestly associated with maternal type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes that required medication, and excessive weight gain during pregnancy; and slightly associated with breastfeeding for six months or less.

6 Nov 2019

New prenatal care approach offers the benefit of shared experience among women

A month before her baby was due, Mirian Zempualteca decided to start maternity leave early. Her belly was getting in the way of her job at a Brooklyn department store.

2 Nov 2019

Chest infections cause 1 in 7 child deaths

The number of deaths in children due to lower respiratory infections (LRIs) such as pneumonia and influenza has come down considerably. Yet, they still account for the highest number of deaths in children under 5 years of age, at one in seven of all deaths in this age group, according to a detailed study published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

31 Oct 2019

Plastic surgery training takes a toll on reproductive health

Plastic surgery training takes a toll on childbearing and reproductive health, including negative effects on fertility, complications during pregnancy, and breastfeeding practices, reports a study in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

29 Oct 2019