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Advocates of Breast-Feeding Accuse Formula Co. of Deceptive Marketing
Filed under: Just For Moms, Nutrition: Health, In The News, Breast-Feeding, Research Reveals: Babies, Development Health
Can some formula make your baby smarter? Maybe not. Credit: curls & crossbones, Flickr
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that some breast-feeding "experts and advocates" say that the study is "a marketing ploy" intended to push formula on new moms.
Researchers studied 229 infants, some receiving traditional baby formula, others getting formula with added DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid.
Babies got the formula "either shortly after birth, after six weeks of breast-feeding or after four to six months of breast-feeding," according to the Chronicle. When given a problem-solving task at the age of nine months, babies in the study who received the DHA-enhanced formula did better than those who received traditional formula.
But something in this study smells like spoiled milk to us. It doesn't compare formula with breast milk. It compares DHA-added formula to formula without DHA. In fact, some of the babies were breastfed for as long as six months, and DHA is a naturally occuring substance in breast milk. Furthermore, medical sources say that mothers can enhance their DHA levels through their diet.
Rather than accusing formula folks of "deceptive marketing," perhaps breast-feeding advocates could take the high road and say what they've said all along -- that "breast is best" until somebody proves otherwise.
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
9-21-2009 @ 11:25AM
ChelseaC said...OK....usually I don't reply to these posts because I just get enjoyment reading them but this one and especially the comments that followed it really seemed like something I should speak on...
First of all, my son is 4 months old, never had an ear infection, never been sick, has gained weight properly... he's never even had a daiper rash. He is also developmentally WAY beyond most other babies his age. He is a soley formula-fed baby. Because I am an extremely busy mom and my husband is deployed in Afghanistan it is just a better decision for myself and for my baby. Oh yeah and did I mention that he was born 3 weeks early? So technically he should be behind the learning curve according to some pediatricians.
One of my good friends has a 4 month old breast-fed baby and he is also healthy, content, and doing well developmentally. Her decision does take away some of the freedoms that I am able to enjoy but at the same time she enjoys a closeness to her baby that I haven't experienced. She has dry,cracked and painful nipples and I have my own body back. I took a bit longer to lose my baby weight and hers was gone in the first month. So there are pros and cons to both ways of feeding your baby, but I am hard pressed to really believe that developmentally there is any significance.
I take extreme offense to people that bash either feeding method...ultimately a child that is loved, nurtured, and raised in a learning-enriched enviroment is going to grow up to be an intelligent and well-respected member of society!
Reply
9-21-2009 @ 1:01PM
Melissa said...Thank you for posting this....I had made the decision NOT to breast-feed because it was just an easier thing for me to do. I was going back to work, and like you, was very busy....however, my daughter was born 8 weeks early, and I decided that I should breast feed for a little while....I had to pump milk because she was in the hospital and I had to take it to her everyday, but truthfully, I was lucky if I was able to get 2 or 3 oz. out of both breasts! The day before she came home, my milk just stopped flowing....so she was formula fed after that (from 4 weeks on)....she's 3 and a half years old now, waaaay ahead of her peers, and she's one of the tallest kids in her class! So don't tell me formula is bad....yes, I agree that if you're going to breastfeed in public do it discreetly, but I don't in any way think that breastfeeding moms should "stay home"....that's just discriminatory and wrong!
9-21-2009 @ 11:30AM
Fedup said...So then explain to me why I was a healthier baby (and still healthier as an adult and he lives a healthier lifestyle) and have a higher IQ than my brother who was breastfed and I wasn't... It's called GENETICS - you are either going to have it or you aren't...
Reply
9-23-2009 @ 7:18AM
Elizabeth said...I agree with you, Fedup, how smart your baby is or isn't is something that is predetermined. True, you can help stimulate auditory and visual development, but it really all comes down to how your kid is wired, which is something that doesn't come from how he is fed.
The only thing breastmilk conclusively helps children with is building a good immune system. It's all very well and good to say that your 4 month old child has never been sick when cold and flu season hasn't even happened yet. That's the true test of one's immune system, which can be boosted by breastfeeding, but ultimately comes down to genetics.
9-21-2009 @ 12:35PM
Charlie said...My wife tried very hard to breast feed our 7 month old daughter, she didn't just 'choose not too'. She pumped, and did everything the doctors told her to, but she simply wasn't able to produce enough breast milk. Her supply wasn't increasing, and our daughter was going hungry more often than not just from breast milk. She couldn't get enough.
We use formula, and we do our best to stay abreast of what is the best nutritional intake for our child. To say those that use formula are selfish is absolutely deplorable. You have no right to pass judgment on everyone, no more than people have any right to pass judgement on those that breast feed.
Reply
10-30-2009 @ 11:27PM
anon said...Charlie, were/are you using Babywise? This program is known to cause failure for the breastfeeding relationship.
9-22-2009 @ 5:13PM
MaMaof4 said...My husband comes from 8 children: the first three were formula fed and the next five were breastfed. Results? All 8 were honor students, highly intelligent, healthy kids who grew up to be intelligent healthy adults. Scientific data? Their parents valued education, time spent with family, and hard work. All 8 kids were "fed" that far more important "food" while growing up. That is all the scientific date I need. Besides- I have seen their story played out similarly in many other families. I mean, if it were as simple as "breastfeeding guarantees high IQ and intelligent children" - we wouldn't see so many deliquents out there. There is far more to IQ than what one was fed as an infant. Please, people.
Reply
9-23-2009 @ 11:53PM
new yorker said...A little bit of anecdotal evidence doesn't change the statistics: formula companies kill babies.
Reply
9-24-2009 @ 9:08PM
Mommasan said...DHA is made from a chemical neurotoxin (called hexene). Perhaps it is safe like the FDA claims, but it gives me shivers to think about what might happen if a batch is screwed up. Ladies (and gentlemen) if you need/want to use formula, stick with the non-enhanced kind.
Reply
10-13-2009 @ 12:32PM
Carrie said...I think some people need to realize not everyone has a choice whether to breastfeed or not. I have large breasts but my nipples are shaped differently than most women and I tried to breastfeed for a long time but he very rarely latched on and I ended up having to formula feed so don't act like I am a bad mom for putting my child on formula!
Reply