Is There Any Benefit For Babies in Breast Feeding?

There is no question that breast milk beats infant formula as far as nutrition goes. All female mammals make milk, but the recipe, so to speak, is different from species to species. Human breast milk is the perfect food for baby humans, and cow's milk is the perfect food for baby cows.

In fact, human babies fed straight cow's milk tend to become quite ill. The proportion of nutrients is all wrong. To make cow's milk acceptable for human babies, it has to be processed to change the fat, protein, iron and salt content. The result is infant formula. Babies are able to digest formula well enough, but it is not the same as human milk.

Human milk contains just the right proportions of proteins, fats, sugars and salts that babies need. There are many other benefits as well like the following:

Protection against infection: Breast milk may help protect babies against some common infections that cause diarrhea and vomiting, as well as infections in the ear, nose, sinuses and lungs. It's not clear from the research how long a mother needs to breastfeed to pass on these health benefits, but, most likely, even breastfeeding for a short time offers at least some of these advantages. In fact, although longer is probably better, the very first weeks and months may be the most important at all.

Shield against food allergies: Exposure to allergens early in life is one of the main causes of allergies. Many infants develop allergies to the proteins in formula made from cow's milk or soya. But allergies to human milk are unheard of. Some researchers believe that babies who are exclusively breastfeed for six months or more may have lower rates of allergies to many other foods, as well.

The Baby is likely to be fit and not obese: Breastfed infants tend to be leaner than bottle-fed ones, particularly in the second half of the first year. Some experts believe that they have a lower risk of becoming obese later in life.

Lesser risk of Diabetes: According to some research studies, breastfed infants may have a lower risk of developing autoimmune diseases, which occur when the immune system attacks the body itself. Among these are juvenile-onset diabetes, multiple sclerosis and two serious diseases affecting the intestines, crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Don't get bothered by these medical terms, in simple words, your baby would be less likely to develop diabetes.

Smarter Baby: Several studies show that babies who were breastfed have higher IQs. But the scientific jury is still out as to whether or not the breast milk itself is the cause. Breast milk does contain substances that may be important for brain development; most formulas do not. The brain enhancing effects of break milk may be most important for premature infants who are at higher risk of later learning problems.