Research suggests special infant formula might help shield babies from type 1 diabetes, but experts are cautious

Source: New England Journal of Medicine / Medline Plus News

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Click here to read original article abstract.

Click here to read editorial response.

Date of publication: November 2010

In a nutshell: New research suggests that special formula with hydrolyzed (partially broken down) proteins to ease digestion may help prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes. Babies fed with special formula were found to have less than half of diabetes-linked antibodies in their blood.  Experts welcomed the research in helping understand the onset of diabetes but were cautious about the conclusions.

Publication type: New story / Journal article

Length of publication: 1 page news story

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Breastfeeding mums should avoid trans fat

Source: Medline Plus

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Or here for the press release.

Click here for the abstract from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (online, doi:10.1038/ejcn.2010.166)

Date of publication:  September 2010 (online)

In a nutshell: This study looked at trans fats in relation to breastfeeding. It found that if the mother’s diet was high in trans fats the baby was much more likely to put on excess body fat and the mother was also more likely to accumulate fat when breastfeeding.

Publication type: News story / Journal article

Length of publication: 1 page

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Lactation and maternal risk of type 2 diabetes: a population-based study

Source: The American Journal of Medicine

Click here to read the abstract.

The American Journal of Medicine, September 2010, Volume 123, Issue 9, Pps. 863.e1-863.e6

Date of publication:  September 2010

In a nutshell: This research looked at the relationships between lactation and risk of type 2 diabetes.  it concluded that the risk of type 2 diabetes went up when breastfeeding is discontinued less than a month after birth regardless of physical activity and body mass index in later life.  It suggests that mothers “should be encouraged to exclusively breastfeed all of their infants for at least 1 month”.

Publication type: Journal article

Length of publication: 6 pages

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Lactation and maternal measures of subclinical cardiovascular disease

Source: Obstetrics & Gynecology

Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 115, issue 1, January 2010, pp.41-48

Click here to read abstract.

Date of publication: January 2010

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: This research looked into a possible relationship between breastfeeding and subclinical cardiovascular disease in a population which did not exhibit symptoms of the disease.  The research concluded that mothers who do not breastfeed seemed to be of greater risk of the vascular changes which are associated with future cardiovascular disease.

Length of publication: 8 pages

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The long-term effects of breastfeeding on child and adolescent mental health: a pregnancy cohort study followed for 14 Years – an Australian study

Source: The Journal of Pediatrics

The Journal of Pediatrics, Article in Press, publication details tba. Published online on 14 December 2009.

Click here to see abstract.

Date of publication: 2009

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: This research set out to find whether breastfeeding affects child and adolescent mental health.  Results suggested that a short duration of breastfeeding may be “a predictor” of poor mental health during child and adolsecent development.

Length of publication: 7 pages

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Obesity ‘set in a baby’s first three months’

Source: Plymouth Herald

Follow this link for article.

Date of publication: 21 May 2009

Publication type: News story

In a nutshell: Report on the controversial findings of a Plymouth diabetes research study which suggests that weight gain is linked to the rate of weight gain in the first few months and to parental obesity,  and less to physical exercise.

Length of publication: 1 page news bulletin

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Magda Sachs, Infant feeding coordinator, Salford PCT

Does breastfeeding in the neonatal period influence the cognitive function of very-low-birth-weight infants at 5 years of age?

Source: Brain and Development

For fulltext link here

For Abstract link here

Year of publication: 2009

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Breast milk is rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which is thought to be necessary for optimal neurodevelopment. This study evaluated the relationship between breastfeeding and the cognitive function of very-low-birth-weight infants at 5 years of age. It concludes that breastfeeding increases the DHA level in preterm infants and may have an important influence on brain development not only during early infancy but also during the preschool years, especially in terms of cognitive function.

Length of publication: 6 pages