Exclusively breastfed babies don’t develop childhood obesity, study
Posted on: 19/Mar/2018 4:52:07 PM
It is not that very difficult to ward off childhood obesity!
A recent study conducted by Ewha Women University College of Medicine in Seoul states that in those infants who are born with high birth weight would not develop obese in their childhood if they are breastfed.
There is direct relation between high birth weight and childhood obesity. In babies who are born with high birth weight, the possibility of growing into childhood obesity is very high. Here is where breastfeeding comes in as a protective factor, says Hae Soon Kin, the lead author of the study.
Comparing children of normal birth weight and those born with high birth weight, the latter are highly prone to obesity as they turn 6 years of age. However, the key to prevent such obesity is to breastfeed babies in their first 6 months of age, says Kim.
Authors of the study analyzed the weight-growth trajectory and how breastfeeding helps as a protection to children from getting obese. Data collected from the National Health Information Database (NHID) of Korea between 1st January 2008 and 31st December 2016 were studied in detail. About 38,039 participants were analyzed through their 6 years of age right from birth. During each and every check-up session, the link between birth weight and growth were analyzed.
These infants were distinguished into three groups
A group of low birth weight who are of lesser than 2500 grams
A group of normal birth weight that are between 2500 grams to 4000 grams
A group of high birth weight who are above 4000 grams
In the follow-up period, about 10 percent of infants from low birth weight group and 15 percent of normal birth weight group grew obese or overweighing. And surprisingly, 25 percent of infants from the third group (of high birth weight) grew obese in their childhood.
As compared to infants of low or normal birth weight, those with very high birth weight were prone to turn obese by 6 years of age. And similarly, those with low birth weight will be prone to underweight by 6 years of age.
If high birth weight infants are exclusively breastfed during their first six months of age, their chances of turning overweight or obese will considerably reduce, and there is high risk of obesity in children who are given formula feeds during the same period instead of breastmilk.
The authors further state that there is increase in childhood obesity and overweight since 1970s. There are a lot of health issues caused by childhood obesity, they caution.
