More New Moms BreastFeeding

Posted on August 3rd, 2007
More Moms BreastFeeding

A new study by the CDC released shows that almost 75% of new moms are breast feeding their infants. However, after 3 months only 30% are still feeding their babies breast milk exclusively. At six months, that number drops to a mere 11%. This concerns government health officials, who fear that women are stopping nursing too soon and introducing formula too often.

Formula isn’t as good at protecting babies against diseases, eczema and childhood obesity. Ideally, nearly all mothers should breast-feed their babies for six months or more, said Dr. David Paige, a Johns Hopkins University reproductive health expert.

But many do not because of their jobs, the inconvenience, and perhaps because of convincing advertising for baby formula.

My thoughts: Although almost everyone can agree that breast milk is ideal, this is a very hot button topic. Women have enough stress on their plates as they try to juggle motherhood and working, and they don’t need any more guilt. There are plenty of women who simply can’t breast feed, for one reason or another, and they shouldn’t be made to feel like less of a mother because of it.

 Read the whole article here.

Is Obesity Contagious?

Posted on July 25th, 2007

A recently published study claims that obesity can be spread from person to person, to friends and family like a virus.

 The study, involving more than 12,000 people tracked over 32 years, found that “social networks” play a surprisingly powerful role in determining an individual’s chances of gaining weight, transmitting an increased risk of becoming obese from wives to husbands, from brothers to brothers and from friends to friends.

The study suggests that eating habits and weight are more closely tied to our social contructs than previously thought. It makes sense that our eating and exercise habits may mimic those close to us. These new findings offer interesting insight on the current obesity epidemic in America. Read the whole article here.

Grapefruit Linked to Breast Cancer Risk

Posted on July 17th, 2007

GrapefruitCould eating grapefruit regularly increase the risk of breast cancer? It seems surprising, but new research indicates there could be a link between the citrus fruit and the cancer that affects one in eight American women in their lifetime.

In a study of 50,000 post-menopausal women, it was shown that eating a quarter of grapefruit or more a day increased the risk of breast cancer by up to 30%. Dr Joanne Lunn, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation says:

“Although we are beginning to get a better awareness of how our diets can modify the risk of diseases such as cancer, we are still a long way from identifying particular foods that might specifically increase or decrease risk.”

However, she said that some dietary patterns are associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers and that a diet rich in a variety of different fruits and vegetables could help reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.

Read the rest of the story here.