Less Stress for the Breastfed
Breastfeeding has been making a lot of headlines lately, from the hullabaloo caused by a recent pro-breastfeeding government ad campaign, to the cancelled Massachusetts ban on gifts of formula to new mothers in hospitals, to the “lactivist” protests in response to Barbara Walters’ negative comments about a nursing mother on an airplane.
Although the media has generally tended to frame the issue as a pro vs. con, there really is no question that breastfeeding is the healthiest and best option for infant feeding. Recently, Swedish researchers using the results from a 1970 British study have found yet another reason why breast is best: less stress for children, even well after breastfeeding has finished.
The 1970 British Cohort Study (or BCS 70) follows the health and growth of people born in April 1970 in Great Britain. In 1975, the parents of the children were asked if they breastfed, and in 1980, the children were evaluated for stress and anxiety by schoolteachers. Here’s what the Swedish reseachers found:
Among children who were dealing with parental divorce or separation at age ten, those who had not been breastfed during infancy were significantly more anxious than those who were breastfed. A 7% decrease in anxiety level was linked to breastfeeding. These findings were still significant after researchers controlled for factors known to foster anxiety.
Seven percent may not seem like a lot, but it’s nothing to sneeze at either, especially when added to the litany of other reasons why breastfeeding is so healthy for mother and baby. Not only is the composition of breastmilk perfectly suited to a growing baby’s need for protein, fat, sugar, and water; breastmilk also provides all the vitamins and minerals baby needs, plus invaluable immune factors that protect baby from disease. It’s free, sterile, and always the right temperature.
For moms, nursing helps burn off pregnancy pounds, stimulates production of relaxation hormones, prevents breast and ovarian cancer, and may help mediate the effects of postpartum depression. Plus you never have to boil anything. Is it any wonder breastfeeding is making news?
