A study published in the Pediatrics on April 5, 2010, of the health risks and added infant illness attributed to formula use by infants prior to six months of age confirmed a previous study in 2001. The new study – "The Burden of Suboptimal Breastfeeding in the United States: A Pediatric Cost Analysis" was conducted by Melissa Bartick and Arnold Reinhold.
The previous study estimated that the medical costs of early use of formula by increasing the incidence of three common infant diseases was $3.6 billion dollars per year in the U.S. The new study expanded the risk analysis to include 10 common diseases and concluded that early formula use caused more than 900 infant deaths and increased medical expenses by $13 billion dollars per year.
Formula is Deficient in Disease Protection
The benefits of breastfeeding have long been acknowledged by pediatricians and increased risk of individual diseases of infancy has been attributed to formula use. The new study is the first to provide the aggregate impact of early formula use on most infant diseases. Increased infant disease and death has been attributed to the lack of dozens of protective proteins, oligosaccharides and fatty acids from formula that are present in breast milk.
Breast milk also contains antibodies that are constantly adapted to the needs of each nursing baby and provide protection that was important in the recent H1N1 pandemic. Mothers also transfer to nursing infants cells of their own immune system that can provide passive protection while the infant immune system develops in response to growth factors present only in breast milk.
Formula Disrupts Normal Infant Gut Flora
Mothers who exclusively breastfeed can immediately tell when their babies have eaten formula or other food, since the infants diapers begin to smell. Formula is digested differently than breast milk and alters the bacteria in the infants bowels. Breastmilk contains a broad spectrum of special carbohydrates, bifidus factor, that only permits the growth of probiotic bacteria.
Since formula lacks these factors as well as the other protective components of breast milk, adult bacteria quickly take over. Use of formula by premature newborns is a major contributor to necrotizing colitis, because of the overgrowth of inappropriate bacteria.
More Support Needed to Help Mothers Breastfeed Their Babies
There are many reasons mothers do not breastfeed their babies. The estimates in the recent study show the benefits that can derive from increasing exclusive breastfeeding for 90% of infants born in the U.S. The study clearly shows that increased breastfeeding pays and provides a rationale for development of government and private programs to support women who wish to breastfeed to improve the health of their babies. These programs are particularly important to enhance breastfeeding and access to breastmilk for babies of working mothers.
La Leche League has been providing mother to mother support for breastfeeding under any and all conditions for over 53 years. Professional support is also provided by lactation consultants (IBCLCs) in hospitals, birthing centers, clinics and through pediatrician and midwife offices.
Join the Conversation