In the article “Breastfeeding Fights Obesity” by Doraine Bailey, a study in Kentucky on breastfeeding and its obesity prevention effects are explained, as the title suggest. Bailey states that “in Kentucky, significant numbers of children younger than 6 years of age are overweight, and the number continues to increase” (Bailey). In recent studies including more than 300,000 children, it has been shown that breastfeeding for at least 3 months consistently reduces chance of obesity. The CDC estimated that breastfeeding can prevent 15-20% of obesity cases. Since breast milk tends to take on the flavor of what the mother has eaten that day, children who were breastfed are more likely to try those leafy green veggies since they were exposed to many different tastes as an infant. Also, formula tends to signal the brain to store more fat than breast milk does. To promote breastfeeding, the state of Kentucky passed a law to allow women to feed in all public places and to excuse breastfeeding mothers from jury duty, since the state only has a 25% breastfeeding rate past two weeks.
I thought this was a very well written article. It was not repetitive and hard to read like some articles on this topic. I felt like the author was very passionate about her stance on the issue and did a very good job of promoting breastfeeding. The article contained several statistics and facts that were useful and interesting. I was shocked that 20% of obese people may not be had they been fed breast milk instead of formula.
Bailey, Doraine. "Breastfeeding Fights Obesity." chfs. N.p., June 2007. Web. 8 Apr 2010.
http://www.chfs.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9130DDE5-1806-4B89-B410-685F26556A96/0/ObesityNewsletter.pdf
great 50
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