Breast Fed Babies Have Lower Risk of Heart Disease

This title comes from the Healthmall Newsletter reporting on a study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. In that study investigators studied a group of 625 adults born in Amsterdam between 1943 and 1946, during the Dutch famine. Most study participants (83%) had been exclusively breast-fed during their hospital stay at birth, (at least 10 days) with the remainder being partially or completely bottle-fed with cows milk or buttermilk. Blood samples were later obtained from these men and women when they were between 48 and 53 years old, in 1995 - 1996.

The researchers report that the group who had been partially bottle-fed, or had no breast feeding showed impaired insulin functioning. When insulin function is disturbed, diabetes and other problems may result. In addition, the bottle-fed group also had higher levels of cholesterol, indicating an increased risk for heart disease.