YourSpine.com - Chiropractic - Breastfeeding Reduces Risk of Obesity

Breastfeeding Reduces Risk of Obesity

The July 17, 1999 issue of the British Medical Journal reports that babies who have been breast-fed have a lower chance of being obese in childhood than babies who have been bottle-fed.

The study of 13,000 German children just starting school found that those who were breast-fed was nearly half that of those bottle-fed; 2.8% vs. 4.5%.

The researchers also found that obesity risk declined the longer a child was breast-fed. Dr. Rudiger von Kries at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany where the research was conducted said, "In children who had been breast fed for at least 6 months or more the risks of being overweight or obese were reduced by more than 30% and more than 40%, respectively,"

This study puts reduced risk of obesity on the long list of health benefits – including improvements in immunological function and neurological development – already attributed to breastfeeding.

Change Zip Code Close