Breastfeeding News and Research

Latest Breastfeeding News and Research

New Lancet issue focuses on HIV ahead of AIDS 2012 conference

This week's issue of the Lancet "has an HIV theme ahead of the International AIDS Society meeting in Washington, D.C., ... on July 22-27," a Lancet editorial states, noting, "The issue of antiretrovirals for prevention, specifically pre-exposure prophylaxis, is presently under intense debate."

30 Jun 2012

LUHS among select group of hospitals nationwide to improve breastfeeding rates

Loyola University Health System (LUHS) is among a select group of 90 hospitals nationwide that have been asked to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a first-of-its-kind initiative to significantly improve breastfeeding rates in states where they are the lowest.

28 Jun 2012

Up to 1 out of every 5 pregnant and new mothers will experience PPD and anxiety

Up to 1 out of every 5 pregnant and new mothers will experience prenatal or postpartum depression (PPD) and anxiety. Most women are undiagnosed and inadequately treated, if treated at all.

28 Jun 2012

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island to participate in Best Fed Beginnings

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island has been selected to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a first-of-its-kind national effort to significantly improve breastfeeding rates in states where rates are currently the lowest. Rhode Island ranks 35th in the nation for breastfeeding initiation. Women & Infants is the only hospital in New England to be selected for this collaborative.

27 Jun 2012

Child obesity could be cut by healthy eating advice for new mums

Teaching new mums about healthy eating and active play can help cut the risk of their child being overweight or obese, a study published today on bmj.com finds.

27 Jun 2012

Medela, King West Pictures and NWMMB partner to increase awareness of human milk banks

Medela, Inc., today announced a partnership with King West Pictures and the Northwest Mothers Milk Bank (NWMMB) to increase awareness of human milk banks and the value of breastmilk feeding, especially for preterm babies. The collaborators will launch the film screening series this summer to showcase families helping to provide the life-saving benefits of breastmilk including to preterm babies in neonatal intensive care units.

27 Jun 2012

Genentech's Perjeta helps people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer live longer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) lived significantly longer (overall survival) when treated with the combination of Perjeta (pertuzumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy, compared to Herceptin and docetaxel chemotherapy alone in the Phase III CLEOPATRA study.

23 Jun 2012

Janssen receives FDA complete response letter for XARELTO sNDA

Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen R&D) announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response letter regarding a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for XARELTO (rivaroxaban) for the reduction of the risk of secondary cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

22 Jun 2012

VOA News examines South African policy promoting exclusive breastfeeding for mothers with HIV

VOA News examines the South African government's decision in September 2011 to stop providing a free six-month supply of infant formula to mothers with HIV and have "its health facilities ... encourage the women to exclusively breastfeed for at least the first six months of their babies' lives."

21 Jun 2012

Teen mothers more likely to suffer abuse and postpartum depression than older moms

Teen mothers are far more likely to suffer abuse and postpartum depression than older moms, according to a study of Canadian women's maternity experiences by a University of Alberta researcher.

20 Jun 2012

Governments, private sector partners come together at Child Survival Call to Action in Washington

The two-day Child Survival Call to Action, "a conference hosted by the government in collaboration with Ethiopia, India and UNICEF to recognize and promote efforts to curtail child mortality," began in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports, noting that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and actor Ben Affleck, founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, "were two of more than 80 governmental, civil society and business leaders slated to speak at the conference Thursday and Friday."

16 Jun 2012

Breast milk protects against oral transmission of HIV

More than 15 percent of new HIV infections occur in children. Without treatment, only 65 percent of HIV-infected children will live until their first birthday, and fewer than half will make it to the age of two. Although breastfeeding is attributed to a significant number of these infections, most breastfed infants are not infected with HIV, despite prolonged and repeated exposure.

15 Jun 2012

Serum PFOA levels increase cardiovascular risk factors

Serum levels of perfluorooctanoic acid, which is found in Teflon and Gore-Tex, appear to be associated with cardiovascular disease risk, even at levels commonly found in the general population, Korean investigators have discovered.

13 Jun 2012

Save the Children releases pioneering report on newborn survival

Save the Children has released a pioneering report on newborn survival over the last decade that shows the world has greatly overlooked a key area for reducing child deaths-newborn care.

13 Jun 2012

Study compares breast milk fatty acid composition in the U.S. and Tsimane women

Working with researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, anthropologists at UC Santa Barbara have found high levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in the breast milk of economically impoverished Amerindian woman as compared to women in the United States.

11 Jun 2012