CDC finds majority of American women believe formula is as beneficial as breast milk

[Guest guest]

CDC finds majority of American women believe formula is as beneficial as

breast milk

The rate of women who said they believed formula offered the same benefits

as breast milk also rose from 14.3% in 1999 to 25.7% in 2003, a claim that

according to the CDC and the World Health Organization

<http://www.who.int/topics/breastfeeding/en/>(WHO)

is incorrect. This rise may be due to formula being fortified with fats

claiming to mimic those found in breast milk may be the reason for the rise,

according to the CDC.The Center for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC) published

the results of a

survey<http://www.adajournal.org/article/S0002-8223%2809%2902089-6/abstract>

conducted

to find the percentages of women who breastfeed vs. those who use

store-bought infant formula in the Journal of the American Dietetic

Association. The survey found that the majority of newborns are given

formula with only 14% being breastfed.

However, formula does not provide infants with antibodies that help build an

infant's delicate immune system the way breast milk does, nor does the

formula adjust to the growing needs of individual infants the same way a

mother's milk naturally does. Formula comes with additional cost, both in

the short and long run, due to the need to actually buy the powdered formula

and bottles, and because formula-fed babies tend to need more visits to the

pediatrician for ailments like ear infections and colds.

The WHO and the CDC both recommend children be exclusively breastfed until

they reach 6 months of age, and along with the introduction of solids, at

least an additional 6 months.

The CDC survey also tracked the decrease in acceptability of mothers

breastfeeding in public. Less than half of American women feel comfortable

being close to another woman who is breastfeeding, the report states.

Also of note, the amount spent on advertising for formula rose from $29

million in 1999 to $46 million in 2004, undoubtedly causing much of the

misinformation on the benefits of breast milk over formula.

http://www.examiner.com/x-36549-Seattle-Womens-Issues-Examiner~y2010m4d19-CDC-fi\

nds-majority-of-American-women-believe-formula-is-as-beneficial-as-breast-milk