At every well baby visit, the pediatrician diligently charts the baby’s growth on a CDC growth chart or a WHO growth chart (which better reflects the general growth patterns of breastfed babies). Those charts have their place for monitoring that a baby continues to grow on essentially the same curve. However, such charts might mislead parents into thinking that a baby who is at the top end of the weight growth chart might be heavy as an older child. In fact, breastfed babies are less likely to be overweight as children than their formula-fed counterparts. So the next time a …read more

Dr. Jim Sears will appear on the Dr. Phil show tomorrow, Wednesday, February 7, 2007 for a discussion on “Little Boys, Big Weight Problems.” Check your local listings in the United States and Canada for exact times. How much do you want to bet he will mention breastfeeding as a way to reduce the risk of childhood obesity?

Given that November is American Diabetes Month, it’s a good time to highlight a recent Harvard Public School of Health study that indicated breastfeeding can help break the cycle of diabetes:
The Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) followed 15,253 boys and girls, showing that children who had been breastfed were 34 percent less likely to become obese, regardless of whether the mother was overweight or had diabetes.
When the researchers took into account factors such as daily food intake and weekly hours spent watching television and being physically active, breastfed children were 15 percent less likely to be overweight.
With childhood obesity …read more