I've been reading The Gluten-Free Bible by Jax Peters Lowell - navigating my new gluten-free lifestyle is a little intimidating, and this book has been highly recommended. You can imagine my delight when I scanned the table of contents and discovered a section on breastfeeding!
The good news? Lowell comes down firmly on the side of the benefits of breastfeeding, listing many reasons why breastfeeding is best for your little one.
The disappointing news? Lowell appears unaware of the research which supports her advice, and misses a great opportunity to educate her readers. Given how much work went into the book, I'm fairly astonished at the oversight.
So, for your reference, here are a couple of the research articles on the topic:
Breast-feeding protects against celiac disease. (Ivarsson A, Hernell O, Stenlund H, Persson LA)
Effect of breast feeding on risk of coeliac disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies (A K Akobeng1, A V Ramanan, I Buchan and R F Heller)
Reading up on celiac disease in Sweden has proved fascinating. In the mid-eighties Sweden experienced a significant spike in the cases of celiac in children two and under; the spike resolved itself within ten years. In trying to figure out what caused the dramatic rise, researchers identified three key factors - the age at which gluten was introduced into the diet, whether the infant was being breastfed at the time of gluten introduction, and how much gluten was given to the infant.
Basically, the younger the child was when gluten was introduced to the diet (typically through cereal), the higher the risk of developing celiac disease. Breastfeeding appears to provide protection; nursing children who were consuming gluten were 40% less likely to develop celiac disease than their weaned counterparts. At the beginning of the time period studied, Swedish breastfeeding rates were at a low (37%); at the end of the time period, breastfeeding rates had increased to 76% and the incidence of celiac disease had decreased.
One of the theories is that the IgA antibodies in human milk provide protection to the infant's gut when gluten is introduced.
Yet another reason I'm glad I breastfed my daughter!
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Milk Therapy (Science News)
Breast-milk compounds could be a tonic for adult ills
Catharina Svanborg thought that she already knew how remarkable breast milk is. The immunologist had logged hundreds of lab hours documenting ways in which human milk helps babies fight infections. But when the group decided to use cancerous lung cells to avoid the variability shown by normal cells in laboratory tests, Svanborg and her team at Lund University in Sweden were in for a surprise. They applied breast milk to the cancerous lung cells, and all the cells died. Breast milk killed cancer cells.
"From that moment on, we've been working with it," Svanborg says.
click to read more...
Catharina Svanborg thought that she already knew how remarkable breast milk is. The immunologist had logged hundreds of lab hours documenting ways in which human milk helps babies fight infections. But when the group decided to use cancerous lung cells to avoid the variability shown by normal cells in laboratory tests, Svanborg and her team at Lund University in Sweden were in for a surprise. They applied breast milk to the cancerous lung cells, and all the cells died. Breast milk killed cancer cells.
"From that moment on, we've been working with it," Svanborg says.
click to read more...
Breast-feeding Overcomes A Genetic Tendency Toward Ear Infections, Scientists Discover (Science Daily)
Breast-feeding protects children otherwise made susceptible to ear infections by abnormalities in specific human genes, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered.
About 19 percent of children are prone to chronic and recurrent ear infections (known to physicians as "otitis media"). These infections can interfere with language development and lead to learning difficulties. Scientists have long known that genetics plays a role in this vulnerability, but very few investigations have been done to pinpoint the specific genes involved. Their complex relationship with specific infectious agents and environmental factors such as exposure to cigarette smoke and breast-feeding also has remained largely a mystery.
The UTMB study, published in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics, examined genetic samples taken from 505 children in Texas and Kentucky, about 60 percent of whom were classified as "otitis media susceptible" because they had suffered an ear infection before the age of 6 months; had undergone three or more episodes of acute otitis media within a six-month period; had four or more episodes within a 12-month period; or had six or more episodes by age 6. Children who had required drainage tubes to assuage recurrent or persistent ear infections were also placed in the "susceptible" category.
click to read more...
About 19 percent of children are prone to chronic and recurrent ear infections (known to physicians as "otitis media"). These infections can interfere with language development and lead to learning difficulties. Scientists have long known that genetics plays a role in this vulnerability, but very few investigations have been done to pinpoint the specific genes involved. Their complex relationship with specific infectious agents and environmental factors such as exposure to cigarette smoke and breast-feeding also has remained largely a mystery.
The UTMB study, published in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics, examined genetic samples taken from 505 children in Texas and Kentucky, about 60 percent of whom were classified as "otitis media susceptible" because they had suffered an ear infection before the age of 6 months; had undergone three or more episodes of acute otitis media within a six-month period; had four or more episodes within a 12-month period; or had six or more episodes by age 6. Children who had required drainage tubes to assuage recurrent or persistent ear infections were also placed in the "susceptible" category.
click to read more...
Epidural babies can't get grip on what's breast (The Australian)
WOMEN who give birth with the aid of pain-relieving epidurals find it harder to breastfeed than those who give birth naturally, an Australian study has found.
The research suggests some of the drugs used in epidurals make their way into babies' bloodstreams, subtly affecting their brains and development for weeks afterwards -- including making them less willing to breastfeed. The study by University of Sydney epidemiologist Siranda Torvaldsen adds to a growing body of knowledge that makes a link between the use of the pain-killing drug fentanyl in epidurals and problems with breastfeeding. During an epidural a catheter is inserted into the spine to allow the infusion of pain-killing drugs. These deaden the nerves that relay sensations of pain from the lower body.
In a commentary on the research, published today in International Breastfeeding Journal, British scientist Sue Jordan suggests the impact of epidurals on breastfeeding should be officially classed as an "adverse drug reaction". Dr Jordan, senior lecturer in applied therapeutics at Swansea University, said women given the infusions should be offered extra support to stop their infants being "disadvantaged by this hidden, but far-reaching, adverse drug reaction".
click to read more...
The research suggests some of the drugs used in epidurals make their way into babies' bloodstreams, subtly affecting their brains and development for weeks afterwards -- including making them less willing to breastfeed. The study by University of Sydney epidemiologist Siranda Torvaldsen adds to a growing body of knowledge that makes a link between the use of the pain-killing drug fentanyl in epidurals and problems with breastfeeding. During an epidural a catheter is inserted into the spine to allow the infusion of pain-killing drugs. These deaden the nerves that relay sensations of pain from the lower body.
In a commentary on the research, published today in International Breastfeeding Journal, British scientist Sue Jordan suggests the impact of epidurals on breastfeeding should be officially classed as an "adverse drug reaction". Dr Jordan, senior lecturer in applied therapeutics at Swansea University, said women given the infusions should be offered extra support to stop their infants being "disadvantaged by this hidden, but far-reaching, adverse drug reaction".
click to read more...
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Breastfeeding and probiotics may protect children from allergies, finds NoE (Cordis News)
The Network of Excellence (NoE) GA2LEN has presented evidence that breastfeeding, early diet and probiotics may have an effect on the development of allergies in children.
GA2LEN is funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) and brings together 26 research centres from around Europe, as well as the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA).
The number of people suffering from allergies has increased dramatically over the past few decades. The phenomenon is particularly evident in children, with one in three now suffering from some sort of allergy. GA2LEN predicts that by 2015, half of all Europeans will have some sort of allergy.
click to read more...
GA2LEN is funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) and brings together 26 research centres from around Europe, as well as the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA).
The number of people suffering from allergies has increased dramatically over the past few decades. The phenomenon is particularly evident in children, with one in three now suffering from some sort of allergy. GA2LEN predicts that by 2015, half of all Europeans will have some sort of allergy.
click to read more...
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Breastfeeding lowers mental health risks (The Australian)
BABIES that are breastfed for longer than six months are less likely to develop mental health problems in childhood, new research shows.
But the number of Australian mothers who feed their infants on breastmilk beyond the six-month mark falls far short of recommended national standards.
The findings are the latest to come from a ground-breaking study which tracked more than 2500 Western Australian children over the past 16 years.
Babies breastfed for less than six months had a 52 per cent increased risk of mental health problems at two years of age than those children breastfed for longer.
This risk increased to 55 per cent by the age of six and 61 per cent two years later, but had dropped to 37 per cent by age 10.
click to read more...
But the number of Australian mothers who feed their infants on breastmilk beyond the six-month mark falls far short of recommended national standards.
The findings are the latest to come from a ground-breaking study which tracked more than 2500 Western Australian children over the past 16 years.
Babies breastfed for less than six months had a 52 per cent increased risk of mental health problems at two years of age than those children breastfed for longer.
This risk increased to 55 per cent by the age of six and 61 per cent two years later, but had dropped to 37 per cent by age 10.
click to read more...
Friday, October 06, 2006
Breast-Feeding, Intelligence Link Probed (Fox News)
LONDON — Breast-fed children are more intelligent than their bottle-fed counterparts, but this has nothing to do with the content of the milk they receive, a study published in the British Medical Journal said.
For decades scientists have been looking for a correlation between feeding and intelligence, but the report says genetic and environmental factors affect a child's intellect.
Researchers, who analyzed data from more than 5,000 children and 3,000 mothers in the United States, found that mothers who breast-feed tend to be more intelligent, according to a study published Wednesday on the journal's Web site.
"When this fact was taken into account, most of the relationship between breast-feeding and the child's intelligence disappeared,"said Jeff Dar, one of the report's authors.
"This research shows that intelligence is determined by factors other than breast-feeding,"
click to read more...
For decades scientists have been looking for a correlation between feeding and intelligence, but the report says genetic and environmental factors affect a child's intellect.
Researchers, who analyzed data from more than 5,000 children and 3,000 mothers in the United States, found that mothers who breast-feed tend to be more intelligent, according to a study published Wednesday on the journal's Web site.
"When this fact was taken into account, most of the relationship between breast-feeding and the child's intelligence disappeared,"said Jeff Dar, one of the report's authors.
"This research shows that intelligence is determined by factors other than breast-feeding,"
click to read more...
Breast is best for forward planning obesity fight (The Australian)
BREAST-FEEDING may be another weapon in the war against childhood obesity. New research in the journal Diabetes Care shows that children who are breast-fed as infants are less likely to become obese as they get older, regardless of whether their mothers are overweight or diabetic. The study included 15,253 boys and girls aged 9 to 14. Children and their mothers were surveyed to determine current height and weight, as well as the method of feeding used in the first six months of life.
click to read more...
click to read more...
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Advocates for breast-feeding question formula giveaways (Daytona Beach News-Journal Online)
By the time 9-pound Campbell Bundza debuted at Halifax Medical Center on Monday, her parents had received mountains of information about how feeding from her mother's breast is best -- along with a stockpile of free infant formula.
Janet Bundza said boxes of complimentary infant formula came to her Port Orange home after she signed up for Publix Supermarkets' Baby Club. She collected more free formula samples when she went to Lamaze classes at the hospital.
"From the research I've read, breast-feeding has benefits for her and for me, so I thought it'd be the way to go," said Bundza, 31, as her first child slept cradled in her arms.
But she also read that breast-feeding doesn't work for everyone.
"I had a question in my mind," Bundza said. "So I thought I'd take it (the formula) as a just-in-case kind of thing."
Sending new mothers home with free infant formula -- practiced to some degree at all of the area's birthing hospitals -- has become more controversial as the benefits of breast-feeding have become more incontrovertible.
click to read more...
Janet Bundza said boxes of complimentary infant formula came to her Port Orange home after she signed up for Publix Supermarkets' Baby Club. She collected more free formula samples when she went to Lamaze classes at the hospital.
"From the research I've read, breast-feeding has benefits for her and for me, so I thought it'd be the way to go," said Bundza, 31, as her first child slept cradled in her arms.
But she also read that breast-feeding doesn't work for everyone.
"I had a question in my mind," Bundza said. "So I thought I'd take it (the formula) as a just-in-case kind of thing."
Sending new mothers home with free infant formula -- practiced to some degree at all of the area's birthing hospitals -- has become more controversial as the benefits of breast-feeding have become more incontrovertible.
click to read more...
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Breast-feeding best for diabetic moms (US News)
For most moms, experts say, breast-feeding's the healthier choice. It protects babies against diarrhea and respiratory infections, as well as other illnesses. But mothers who are obese or diabetic might have been given the opposite advice: Because some research has suggested that milk from diabetic or overweight mothers is more fattening, doctors have worried that babies who drank this milk might be at an unusually high risk of developing lifelong weight problems. (These babies already have an increased risk for becoming diabetic or obese, since their mothers are.)
It appears those concerns can now be set to rest. A new study of more than 15,000 children, published in the October issue of the journal Diabetes Care, shows that breast-feeding does a better job of preventing obesity in kids even when their mother is overweight or diabetic. "For these moms, breast-feeding is the first thing they can do to reduce their child's chances of developing these conditions," says lead study author Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, a professor and associate chair in the department of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
click to read more...
It appears those concerns can now be set to rest. A new study of more than 15,000 children, published in the October issue of the journal Diabetes Care, shows that breast-feeding does a better job of preventing obesity in kids even when their mother is overweight or diabetic. "For these moms, breast-feeding is the first thing they can do to reduce their child's chances of developing these conditions," says lead study author Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, a professor and associate chair in the department of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
click to read more...
Breastfeeding Does Not Make Baby More Intelligent (Medical News Today)
Breastfed babies are more intelligent because a higher percentage of highly educated mothers tend to breastfeed, say researchers from the Medical Research Council (UK) and the University of Edinburgh. A higher percentage of breastfed babies are brought up in a mentally stimulating environment.
You can read about this study in the British Medical Journal.
The researchers looked at data on 5,475 children and 3,161 mothers from the United States.
A link between breastfeeding and higher IQ was first spotted in 1929, and has been a controversial subject ever since, says Geoff Der, lead researcher. He said that not only do breastfed children generally perform better on intelligence tests, but they also tend to come from more advantaged backgrounds.
click to read more...
You can read about this study in the British Medical Journal.
The researchers looked at data on 5,475 children and 3,161 mothers from the United States.
A link between breastfeeding and higher IQ was first spotted in 1929, and has been a controversial subject ever since, says Geoff Der, lead researcher. He said that not only do breastfed children generally perform better on intelligence tests, but they also tend to come from more advantaged backgrounds.
click to read more...
Breast-Fed Babies Aren't Smarter (CBS News)
Despite Study, Researchers Still List Lots Of Reasons For Breastfeeding
(WebMD) Do breast-fed babies become brainier kids? Some studies say yes, but new research shows no direct link between breastfeeding and intelligence later in life.
In the largest study ever to address the issue, researchers found a positive impact for breastfeeding on intelligence only when other potential contributors — such as the mother's IQ and the parents' educational and economic status — were not taken into consideration.
When these variables were considered, breastfeeding was found to have little impact on a child's IQ.
The study included 5,475 children and mothers in the United States who participated in an ongoing youth development survey. The findings were published today in BMJ Online First.
click to read more...
(WebMD) Do breast-fed babies become brainier kids? Some studies say yes, but new research shows no direct link between breastfeeding and intelligence later in life.
In the largest study ever to address the issue, researchers found a positive impact for breastfeeding on intelligence only when other potential contributors — such as the mother's IQ and the parents' educational and economic status — were not taken into consideration.
When these variables were considered, breastfeeding was found to have little impact on a child's IQ.
The study included 5,475 children and mothers in the United States who participated in an ongoing youth development survey. The findings were published today in BMJ Online First.
click to read more...
Children Inherit Higher IQ from Mom's Brains, Not Her Milk (Med Page Today)
GLASGOW, Scotland, Oct. 4 -- If smarter women are more likely to breast feed their babies, it only stands to reason that their children would inherit higher IQs, reported researchers here. It's nature, not nurture. Action Points
The study, which is five times larger than any previous study on the issue, used data from the U.S. national longitudinal survey of youth that began in 1979, reported Geoff Der, M.A., M.Sc., of the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit here, and colleagues, online in BMJ.
click to read more...
The study, which is five times larger than any previous study on the issue, used data from the U.S. national longitudinal survey of youth that began in 1979, reported Geoff Der, M.A., M.Sc., of the Medical Research Council Social and Public Health Sciences Unit here, and colleagues, online in BMJ.
click to read more...
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Breastfeeding OK when mom is on lithium
But doctor recommends infants get regular blood, kidney and thyroid hormone tests
Babies can safely breastfeed when their mother is taking the psychiatric drug lithium, a recent study shows.
click to read more...
Babies can safely breastfeed when their mother is taking the psychiatric drug lithium, a recent study shows.
click to read more...
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Diabetes drug levels in breast milk insignificant
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New findings show that women who are breastfeeding can be reassured that if they take metformin for diabetes it won't harm their baby.
Metformin is excreted into breast milk, but the levels are not enough to adversely affect blood sugar levels of nursing infants, according to the findings of a small study reported in the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
click to read more...
Metformin is excreted into breast milk, but the levels are not enough to adversely affect blood sugar levels of nursing infants, according to the findings of a small study reported in the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
click to read more...
Monday, May 30, 2005
The anatomy of Human Breast
Peter Hartmann is a professor at the University of Western Australia, and director of the Human Lactation Research group. They have done some amazing work which has resulted in a rethinking of breast anatomy.
Previous diagrams of breast anatomy were based on work dating back to the mid-1800's, when the breasts of lactating cadavers were injected with hot wax and the internal structure was subsequently mapped. Hartmann's group, however, has used ultrasound to map the lactating breast, and has discovered the anatomy to be entirely different.
click to view....
Previous diagrams of breast anatomy were based on work dating back to the mid-1800's, when the breasts of lactating cadavers were injected with hot wax and the internal structure was subsequently mapped. Hartmann's group, however, has used ultrasound to map the lactating breast, and has discovered the anatomy to be entirely different.
click to view....
Breastfeeding is as good for children's blood pressure as exercise and dietary salt restriction
Breastfeeding is as good for children's blood pressure as exercise and dietary salt restriction, according to research from Bristol University published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. The longer the period of breastfeeding, the lower the blood pressure reading, the research found.
click to read more....
click to read more....
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Study to focus on baby milk
WANTED: 100 NEW mums to take part in a ground- breaking study to find out how pain-relief medication impacts on breast milk and the baby who feeds on it.
The study, to be undertaken by the North- West Medical Research Fund, is the first in the world of its scale.
And researchers hope it will provide the evidence needed to ensure current post-caesarean treatments are in the best interests of both mother and baby.
click to read more...
The study, to be undertaken by the North- West Medical Research Fund, is the first in the world of its scale.
And researchers hope it will provide the evidence needed to ensure current post-caesarean treatments are in the best interests of both mother and baby.
click to read more...
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