Breastfeeding May Help To Understand Weight Differences In Children

A new study reports that minority and disadvantaged children in the United States have a greater risk of becoming overweight because there are lower rates of breastfeeding in those socioeconomic groups.

Of the 739 children studied (ages 10-19), those who had been breastfed for more than four months had lower odds of being overweight and had a lower body mass index. This information was found to be true regardless of race or the education level of the parents. However, the rates of breastfeeding within this group were noteworthy--40 percent of white children with college-educated parents had been breastfed, while only 11 percent of black children were. 18 percent had less-educated parents.

So what does all of this mean? Dr. Jessica G. Woo of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, one of the researchers in this study, states that "this really does suggest that if we could somehow increase the frequency and duration of breastfeeding in these groups, we could reduce disparities..." She recommends that women who are having trouble with breastfeeding should seek help. A great place to start is finding a lactation consultant to help you through any breastfeeding problems or concerns you are having. Many pediatric offices, health clinics and hospitals also have lactation consultants on staff.