Breast milk or formula which is better

Protective effect of exclusive breastfeeding against infections during infancy: a prospective study. Arch Dis Child. Does breastfeeding reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome? Economic impact of breast-feeding-associated improvements of childhood cognitive development, based on data from the ALSPAC.

Br J Nutr. Breast feeding and child behaviour in the Millennium Cohort Study. Infant nutrition and stereoacuity at age 4—6 y. Am J Clin Nutr, ;85 1 Acta Paediatr. Infant feeding in relation to islet autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes in genetically susceptible children: the MIDIA Study. Diabetes Care. Does prolonged breastfeeding reduce the risk for childhood leukemia and lymphomas? Minerva Pediatr. Energy and protein requirements during lactation. Annu Rev Nutr.

Breastfeeding in the 21st century: epidemiology, mechanisms, and lifelong effect. Obstet Gynecol. Breastfeeding and ovarian cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 40 epidemiological studies. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. J Am Heart Assoc. Surgeon General Breastfeeding factsheet ; Jan 20 [cited Apr 04]. Breast-feeding increases sleep duration of new parents. J Perinat Neonatal Nurs. Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants.

Early determinants of fruit and vegetable acceptance. Calma is an innovative feeding solution created for breastfed babies. In the first camp — the randomized trial camp — we have one very large-scale study from Belarus.

The trial has studied all sorts of outcomes, including infant and child health and cognitive development. Given how much interest there is in this topic, it is perhaps surprising that we have only this one large randomized trial of breastfeeding.

People may be so convinced of the benefits of breastfeeding that they see no need for further testing. Or it may be that a large enough study is too daunting and expensive to run. Whatever the reason, the randomized evidence is limited to this single case. The other group of helpful studies are those of siblings — that is, studies that compare a sibling who has been breastfed with one who has not.

When people cite the benefits of breastfeeding, those benefits typically fall in one of three groups: early life health, later life health and IQ. So, what does the data say? Among the most straightforward benefits claimed for breastfeeding are improvements in infant health. The randomized trial in Belarus evaluated a very large number of infant health outcomes.

The results are decidedly mixed. Infants in the treatment group — who, remember, were more likely to be breastfed — had fewer gastrointestinal infections read: less diarrhea and were less likely to experience eczema and other rashes. However, there were no significant differences in any of the other outcomes considered. These include: respiratory infections, ear infections, croup, wheezing and infant mortality. And on top of this, there are the claimed benefits on behaviors — less hyperactivity, fewer behavior problems, more maternal attachment, etc.

The researchers analyzed the impacts of breastfeeding on allergies and asthma ; on cavities ; and on height, blood pressure, weight and various measures of obesity. They also found no evidence of impacts on child behavior issues, emotional problems, peer issues, hyperactivity or maternal-child connection. These non-results are also present when we look at sibling data. They find no impact of breastfeeding on any outcome.

These sibling results also provide a sense of why less effective research methods would have shown impacts. The researchers demonstrate that if you simply compare breastfed to formula-fed infants, there are significant differences on virtually all outcomes.

However, once you compare siblings — where differences among mothers are fully adjusted for — you no longer see any positive impacts of breastfeeding. Perhaps more than any other benefit, this possible IQ effect is what drives the shaming of women who choose to bottle feed at least in certain social circles.

The randomized trial in Belarus did evaluate IQ. Its results are mixed and a little confusing. First, researchers looked at all the kids in the study.

For this sample, the evaluation of IQ was done by evaluators who knew whether or not a child was in the breastfeeding-encouraged treatment group. According to HealthyChildren. After two days of nursing, pumping to increase supply, and supplementing with a bottle, we ditched the formula and I nursed her exclusively until we began solid foods.

Research actually suggests that early limited supplementation can be a temporary feeding strategy for parents dealing with weight loss in newborns, and it may even reduce long-term formula use. None of this is to say that long-term formula use is a problem.

Both approaches are safe and healthy for your baby, and each has its advantages. If science is the only factor on which we base infant feeding policy, and if the science showed that breastmilk leads to significantly better health and socioeconomic outcomes, then it makes sense to prescribe exclusive breastfeeding across the board. Even in that hypothetical situation, depending on the circumstances, I personally believe that a mother would still have the right not to breastfeed, because women have a right to bodily autonomy.

Breastfeeding is normal and should not be stigmatised or seen as a lifestyle choice that can only be accommodated under ideal circumstances. But we should not treat breastfeeding as a baseline in a sense that implies that women who formula feed are harming their babies. Given all of the above, parents with infants should use whichever feeding method works best, taking into account the resources, culture, and health of the family.

Skip to content. Anastasia feeding her daughter. Her daughter received supplemental formula in the NICU and for a few months after birth, then went on to breastfeed for over three years. Layla feeding her son a pumped bottle. Breastfeeding and bottlefeeding infographic from UnityPoint Health, used with permission. Read the accompanying article Breastfeeding vs. Bottle-feeding: A Heated Debate. Previous post Introduction to GMOs. Next post Ask SciMoms: Where does the vaccine schedule come from?

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