New study suggests parents feed breastfed newborns a bottle a day of formula to prevent...

[WTHamI?]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0714162145.htm

Really interested in what others have to say about this. I find it interesting that they note that if parents don't introduce formula in the first 2 weeks of life that they should wait until a year. But instead of recommending waiting until a year, he recommends starting at birth.

[fruitfulmomma]

and possibly for the World Health Organization, which currently recommends that a woman switch from breast to bottle at the three-to-five month period.

??? What is he talking about? The WHO recommends bf'ing for at least two years.

[KempsMama]

My guess is he's twisting the WHO's recommendations on the best time to introduce bottles of expressed breastmilk when necessary.

[balancedmama]

He did disclose his funding from the India Dairy Board

[Theoretica]

There's nowhere to contact him, anyone have an email? I went to the Tel Aviv main site and still didn't find anything for commenting or contacting. His WHO info is WAY off.

[St. Margaret]

Here ya go, debunking of that study...
http://www.amotherinisrael.com/does-...age-allergies/

Dairy sponsorship of the study is just the beginning of the faults here.

[PatioGardener]

nak

a more balanced news report here:

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/...ure-study.html

i have many issues with the methods of the study - will post when not nak'ing!

[spughy]

I think it's possible that there is some mechanism for early exposure to foreign proteins to be protective against subsequent exposure at a later, more vulnerable stage. Whether the relative degree of protection, weighed against the known risks of formula (expecially the powdered, non-sterile formula likely to be used), is significant, or useful, remains to be seen. Whether the results of this study can be successfully replicated to a more genetically diverse population remains to be seen. Whether extremely early exposure to foreign proteins has any effect on childhood, as opposed to infancy, instances of allergy, remains to be seen.

It's unfortunate that this is being spun as a potential knock against breastfeeding; despite the dairy industry funding it's an interesting notion. Many cultures DO insist on very early exposure to different foods and substances besides breastmilk, is it possible that there is a grain of scientific rationale behind these practices?

[Raine822]

It is very possible that there is some truth to it. However, as stated in the rebuttal article milk allergies are rare and often not severe(not saying that they can't be). Introducing formula that early can lead to supply issues as BM is supply and demand. And, of course, this is one study while there have been many on the multiple benefits of BF.

IMO this study is a fear-mongering tactic. It is playing on parents fears of a severe allergy by providing misleading information( incorrectly stating the WHO recommendation, making milk allergies sound more common and worse than they actually are). The fact that it is funded by a company that would profit from the increased sale of milk products makes it even more unreliable.

I am probably being a conspiracy theorist here but I beleive this is just another way for a company to scare parents into spending money on a product they otherwise would not. I see no issue if a fully informed person decides it would be beneficial but without all the information being correct this type of thing could lead someone to follow this advice when they otherwise would not have(and possibly regret it later).

[KempsMama]

I'm no expert-but wouldn't an EBF babe be exposed to milk protein through his mother's milk? Assuming she consumed dairy products.

[AllyRae]

Whaaa??? All of my children have had formula (my 2 that breastfed had it through an SNS due to severe low supply), and all of them have multiple food allergies. INCLUDING allergies to dairy/milk protein.

It just doesn't make sense...haven't allergies skyrocketed in the past year? And formula use has gone up too?

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by KempsMama

I'm no expert-but wouldn't an EBF babe be exposed to milk protein through his mother's milk? Assuming she consumed dairy products.

Plus they threw out all the infants who were exclusively formula-fed! And many people I know who formula-fed from birth ended up having kids with milk allergies...

I don't think this was a well-done study, based on what I've read so far. I'm sure a "vaccination-effect" is theoretically possible (i.e. the peanut allergy 'cure' which works on a similar principle of small exposures) but I don't think the results of this study prove anything except that the dairy industry wants everyone to drink milk. Then again, I'm in the "humans shouldn't drink cow's milk" camp so I am admittedly quite biased...

[kittywitty]

Three of my kids had milk allergies. One went to formula (not non-dairy-that wasn't covered for me to buy and couldn't afford it) for supply and dairy issues. He still has continuing dairy issues.

My two girls I ebf dairy free as soon as I caught whiff of the allergy. Theirs went away by 2 years old even though they were originally severe. I know dozens of people who formula fed who have kids with dairy allergies. This study is a load of horse manure.

[blessedwithboys]

From www.aaaai.org:

"The findings of this study are not meant to discourage breastfeeding, but rather to encourage early complementary feeding with cow’s milk along with breastfeeding to promote oral tolerance."

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

From www.aaaai.org:

"The findings of this study are not meant to discourage breastfeeding, but rather to encourage early complementary feeding with cow’s milk along with breastfeeding to promote oral tolerance."

um, yeah, because we really want to base something as important as infant feeding practices on one poorly conducted observational study...

[WC_hapamama]

I pumped breastmilk for my firstborn child for the first 9 weeks of his life, and supplemented with milk based formula, until my supply crapped out.

By 4 months old, he had developed allergies to milk and soy.

So much for that theory.

[shelbean91]

I'm not a scientist and I don't care to look up study after study to back up my thoughts......

My thoughts on the subject are this: formula has only been around 100 years or so. Food allergies are at an all time high and are much more severe than even a generation ago (anectodal, again, not wanting to look up studies, but I didn't know a *single* person with a life threating food allergy, now there are 3-4 in my daughter's class and more throughout her school). Given that we, as humans, have been around MUCH longer than the past 100 years leads me to believe that EBF is probably sufficient to help prevent these allergies moreso than formula and/or it's something ELSE in our diets that is causing the allergies.

So, nothing scientific, just some logical deduction.

[Heba]

There are flaws in the study. Here's one very good response to it:
http://www.analyticalarmadillo.blogspot.com/

[mambera]

Originally Posted by shelbean91

My thoughts on the subject are this: formula has only been around 100 years or so. Food allergies are at an all time high and are much more severe than even a generation ago (anectodal, again, not wanting to look up studies, but I didn't know a *single* person with a life threating food allergy, now there are 3-4 in my daughter's class and more throughout her school). Given that we, as humans, have been around MUCH longer than the past 100 years leads me to believe that EBF is probably sufficient to help prevent these allergies moreso than formula and/or it's something ELSE in our diets that is causing the allergies.

So, nothing scientific, just some logical deduction.

http://generallordisimo.files.wordpr...al-warming.jpg