Breastfeeding is the practice of a woman feeding an infant (or sometimes a toddler or a young child) with milk produced from her mammary glands, usually directly from the nipples. Babies have a sucking instinct allowing them to extract the milk.
Roll out treatment as prevention now to stop HIV and AIDS — Lancet column calls for immediate expansion of global HIV strategy – The Lancet, a leading global medical journal, published an editorial comment today that emphasizes the critical role of expanding access to HIV treatment under a “Treatment as Prevention” strategy to stop the HIV pandemic.
Study suggests prolonged bottle feeding increases the risk of obesity – Experts agree that obesity prevention should begin before children enter school. But due to a lack of conclusive data, health care providers often have trouble advising parents about which interventions are the most beneficial.
Not all infant formulas are alike: Differential effects on weight gain – New findings from the Monell Center reveal that weight gain of formula-fed infants is influenced by the type of formula the infant is consuming. Commonly available infant formulas are cow’s milk-based, soy-based and protein hydrolysate-based.
Parents at highest risk for depression in the 1st year after child’s birth – More than one-third of mothers and about one-fifth of fathers in the United Kingdom appear to experience an episode of depression between their child’s birth and 12th year of age, with the highest rates in the first year after birth.
Moms who don’t breastfeed more likely to develop type 2 diabetes – Mothers who did not breastfeed their children have significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes later in life than moms who breastfed, report University of Pittsburgh researchers in a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
Prenatal exposure to pesticides linked to attention problems – Children who were exposed to organophosphate pesticides while still in their mother’s womb were more likely to develop attention disorders years later, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTATION FOR INFANTS — Infants should get vitamin D supplementation, says AAP – Breastfeeding is the ideal form of infant feeding, but supplementation with Vitamin D, starting soon after birth, is recommended because breastfed infants generally do not obtain adequate Vitamin D from other sources.
Common antidepressant drugs linked to lactation difficulties in moms – Women taking commonly used forms of antidepressant drugs may experience delayed lactation after giving birth and may need additional support to achieve their breastfeeding goals.
Breastfeeding a child may protect women from metabolic syndrome, a condition linked to diabetes and heart disease in women – Breastfeeding a child may lower a woman’s risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome, a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes in women, according to a Kaiser Permanente study.
The Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia and the World Pneumonia Day coalition was established in April 2009. It seeks to bring focus on pneumonia as a public health issue and to prevent the millions of avoidable deaths from pneumonia that occur each year. – Nearly 100 leading global health organizations from around the world joined forces to recognize the first-annual World Pneumonia Day on November 2 and urge governments to take steps to fight pneumonia, the world’s leading killer of young children.
Environmental chemicals found in breast milk and high incidence of testicular cancer — High levels of persistent environmental chemicals found in breast milk in a population with many male reproductive problems. – A comparison of breast milk samples from Denmark and Finland revealed a significant difference in environmental chemicals which have previously been implicated in testicular cancer or in adversely affecting development of the fetal testis in humans and animals.
Health experts offer action steps local governments can use to cut childhood obesity rates – Local governments play a crucial role in the fight against childhood obesity by creating environments that make it either easy or hard for children to eat healthier diets and move more.
