Breastfeeding is not best - Dr Karleen Gribble

[fabsmum]

Love this video

This report shows that breastfeeding can reduce the chance of getting breast cancer by half. here

Japan has one of the lowest rates of breast feeding in the developed world - yet they have very low rates of breast cancer.

According to this report on Japanese mothers feeding choices from 2006....

QUOTE Exclusive breast-feeding was chosen by 6680 (43.8%) mothers, mixed-feeding by 4645 (30.4%) mothers, and bottle-feeding with formula milk only by 3900 (25.6%) mothers UNQUOTE

So 43.8% exclusive breastfeeding mothers would have a much lower risk and 30.4% mixed feeding mothers would have a partial reduced risk (dose effect) and only 25.6%formula feeding mothers would have an increased risk of breast cancer. Those figures don't look low to me.

I'm off to look up the rate of breast feeding take up in the UK to compare these figure too.

i don't think that's right about japan, we've got MNers from Japan and they talk about bfing as being plum normal, so normal in fact that they don't really get hung up about ffing because the assumption is that if a mother is ffing they've not chosen to and something other has intervened.

The figures for the same age range ish in a similar year in the UK is exclusive breastfeeding of 28% at 4 months down to 21% to 6 months. So the Japenese have a higher rate of exclusive breastfeeding and a lower rate of breast cancer.

So Nancy, yet another unbacked 'fact' you posted, that is wrong.

Babieseverywhere - i haven't posted a single unsubstantiated fact. Of course if you look hard enough you will be able to find some junk science statistic that back your view and not mine because you have already decided that you are right.

check on the WHO, check on the BMJ check onb la leche - japanese women statistcally have a 10% lower breast feeding rate than the UK, America and Canada.

Despite this, despite having a much larger population they have a much lower risk of breast cancer. This is widely believed to be because of the lack of animal fat in their diet.

Aitch - breast feeding is not the norm in japan. I lived there for two years. you rarely see a woman breast feeding in public and if she did she would attract a great many stares and comments. Japanese women are very shy and private about their bodies. Perhaps this is why they tend not to breastfeed.

Most women in the Uk don't breastfeed for more than a few weeks - MN is representative of this site and nothing more.

I honestly think that most of you anti FF feeding brigade do yourself more harm than good. Saying that formula should be banned, that mothers that can't BF should be told to use wet nurses and daying formula should carry health warnings. Do you know how unhinged you all sound?

i'm not saying that they do it in public, nancy, but there was a woman posting on here called sakura who had her baby in japan and specifically mentioned that midwives give massages etc to promote bfing and that it is assumed that women will bf before ffing. other people concurred, as i recall.

the government are promoting it now in Japan - in the same way they do here but there is still a 'stigma' attached to BF in many Asian countries as it is traditionally associated with poverty.

who has said formula should be banned
usual hysterical reaction

Nancy, You are posting things with no backing evidence, when I look for studies to back up your posts, I find studies which says the opposite to what you stated. It is easy to say things what you think, but if you have no studies backing up your opinion, you won't be taken seriously.

I am not anti-formula, my mother lost her milk and without formula I would not be here.

i don't think that's exaactly what was said, stealthy. people were moaning about how bfing should be a norm (it should, of course) and how we shoudl be more like norway etc with its 98% rate and i said you'd have to take formula manufacturers out of the picture first as they would move heaven and earth to stop the govt making such a dramatic policy sweep. it's not formula that's the problem, iykwim, it's the fact that it's a source of such enormous profit.

Who has said formula should be 'banned'?

Who has said mothers who can't bf should be 'told to use wet nurses'.

The majority of people who have strong feelings about this issue believe that ADVERTISING of formula - not formula itself - should be banned.

I haven't seen anyone say that mothers who cannot breastfeed 'should' be 'told' to do anything - only that wet nursing could be a viable option for some people given the right support and encouragement.

As for health warnings appearing on formula tins - well, I can see the argument for that.

How else do you get the message across that in giving their babies formula women are increasing their risk of a whole host of illnesses? If you give your baby calpol it comes with a leaflet explaining all the contraindications. Why shouldn't formula come with the same information - given that formula companies make nutritional and health claims for their high tech products, and given that use of these products has implications for child health in the short, medium and long term?

Why should advertising formula be banned? It's already tightly controlled. I've never seen an ad for formula.

if you're going to ban the advertising of products that potentially harm adults and children then you'd be far better off banning the advertising Coke and Pepsi.

I can't stand censorship of any kind - the message is: you're too stupid to make your own mind up so we'll do it for you.

I've looked at all the websites for the leading formula companies and they all state that breastfeeding is the best. What more can they do?

Formula tins/packets should not carry a warning aboutthe supposed health risks because they are either unproven or insignificant.

I've read reports that show that breasfeeding can increase the risk of asthma; that breastfed babies can have low levels of iron and that vegan women lack enough nutrients. I'm not saying it's true - I'm saying I've read them. Do you want that tattooed on your boob?

do you never watch television? read magazines? plenty of ads for follow-on milk to be seen.

I watch TV pretty much every day and I work in the media - and have never seen one.

"I've never seen an ad for formula."

I take it you don't read parenting/pregnancy and birth magazines or watch daytime tv then? Because they'e swarming with formula ads!

The leading formula companies are happy to state that 'breastfeeding is best' because it implies that breastfeeding is optimal, but that formula is the norm and is 'good enough' - and they know that for parents 'good enough' is fine - particularly during the early, tough days with a new baby. In other words - it works for them to set breastfeeding up as an 'ideal'.

Also as they're constantly implying their products are 'closer to breastmilk than ever', every time anyone talks about the benefits of breastmilk by implication they're doing a fluff job on formula as well.

And the 'supposed' health risks are not 'supposed' or insignificant. A bottlefed baby is five times as likely to be admitted to hospital with diarrheoa and vomiting as a fully breastfed baby. And that's controlling for social class. They're also massively more likely to be hospitalised with respitory illness. Now taking into account that respitory infections and d&v are two of the most common reasons for the hospitalisation of infants in this country - are you still prepared to say that the health risks of formula feeding are 'insignificant'?

Honestly - do you think the NHS would be putting precious money into promoting breastfeeding if there were no clear and proven health benefits for mothers and babies?

Seriously Nancy66 - do some reading!

No i don't read parenting and birth magazines. I sometimes watch daytime TV and i've never seen an ad - so there you go.

formula probably is closer to breast milk than ever. I daresay it's better than it was 20 years ago.

I've never, ever argued that breast feeding isn't best. I've said it several times in my earlier posts and i also don't dispute much of the science that proves this - just some of it.

I also don't think that formula should carry a health warning because i can't see what purpose it would serve.

Formula companies are now no longer allowed to claim that their product is 'close to breastmilk'

i've just looked at the SMA site - there is a disclaimer on every page saying that breast milk is best.

what does closer to breastmilk even mean - it seems like one of those ad things that works so well cos it is so meaningless.

of course formula is closer to breastmilk...
closer than goat's milk
closer than whale milk
closer than a big ole rock

what's the point of such a stupid saying

for someone who hasn't seen any formula ads Nancy you seem remarkably up to speed on formula claims

furthermore how is banning ads a form of censorship that would not permit people to make up their minds?

As if ad companies are interested in you having any sort of unbiased comparison of their product with another they just want to sell you stuff.

nancy for someone who works in media you seem rather naive

I just looked at a formula website. And I was aware there was a recent change in the law with regard to advertising but wasn't entirely sure what it was - so I checked.

Banning ANYTHING is censorship by its very definition.

I don't smoke and I hate smoking but I still don't think that ads for cigarettes should be banned. I don't like the fact we're becoming such a nanny state. Let people decide for themselves.

Of course formula companies want you to buy their product. Who said they didn't? I already think the law goes far enough that's all.

Nancy: "there is a disclaimer on every page saying that breast milk is best"

That was the basis on which the discussion started. You stated that "I can't stand censorship of any kind - the message is: you're too stupid to make your own mind up so we'll do it for you." and yet by the above comment prove how the ff manufacturers have worked their magic.

Sorry Walnutshell - genuinely don't understand the point you are trying to make.