2013, Number 1
Mother’s milk still best—and we must do better
Full text
Language: English
References: 5
Page: 48
PDF size: 110.56 Kb.
ABSTRACT
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it bears repeating that a mother’s milk is best for her child. Yet, in Cuba and around the world, this advice is not always taken to heart, or parents don’t receive it, or breastfeeding messages miss their mark.WHO recommends breastfeeding exclusively through the first six months of life, and combined with other foods, through 24 months. Why? Not only because early breastfeeding provides protection against infection, but also because infancy is a period critical to growth and to development of future habits that contribute to healthy living. Excessive weight gain in the first six months of life—brought on by supplementing breast milk—is a predictor of an overweight child and adult. Similarly, overweight youngsters aged three to six years are at higher risk for obesity in later life.
REFERENCES
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