Alphabetical list:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Q Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
News: November 15, 2009
Breastfeeding Benefits Updated by the American Dietetic Association
November 15, 2009The health benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and their mothers have been updated and explained in a newly released position paper by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The ADA strongly encourages breastfeeding whenever possible, noting that it is the "optimal feeding method for the infant."
When one looks at the statistics on breastfeeding in the United States, the figures are disappointing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics for 2008 show that while 62 percent of new mothers say they have ever breastfed their infant, that figure drops to 39.1 percent who continue breastfeeding two months or longer, and declines to 19.1 percent who are still breastfeeding at one year.
These figures include mothers who also supplement with infant formula. If we consider only mothers who are breastfeeding their infants exclusively (no formula), the figures are only 12.9 percent who do so for at least three months and 7.2 percent who continue to do so for at least six months.
The American Dietetic Association recommends that mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding with no foods or liquids other than breast milk for the first six months of life. The ADA position paper states that "exclusive breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition and health protection for the first 6 months of life and breastfeeding with complementary foods from 6 months until at least 12 months of age is the ideal feeding pattern for infants."
Beyond health benefits for both infants and their mothers, breastfeeding also helps control health care costs, which is related to the improvement in health. Human milk provides the best nutrient composition that infants require and thus reduces their risk for a large number of acute and chronic illnesses. For example, states the ADA paper, breastfeeding for infants enhances the immune system, reduces the risk for severe lower respiratory tract infections, asthma, and nonspecific gastroenteritis, and also protects against the development of allergies and intolerances. Breastfed infants have a lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, childhood leukemia, diabetes, and obesity, and less risk of experiencing sudden infant death syndrome.
Benefits for mothers who practice breastfeeding include establishment of a strong bond with their infant, increased calorie burning, which can help with weight loss; a lower risk for type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer; decreased risk for postpartum depression; and less postpartum bleeding and delays in the menstrual cycle. New mothers also can save money by not needing to purchase formula or pay for expenses associated with formula feeding.
More information about breastfeeding from the American Dietetic Association can be found on their website. Other sources of help with breastfeeding can be found at the American Academy of Pediatrics website, the US Department of Health and Human Services Womenshealth.gov website, and the La Leche League.
SOURCES:
American Dietetic Association
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Archive issues: (50)
Archive list: 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
December 08, 2009 | Tamiflu May Be Inneffective In Fighting Effects Of FluWashington (SmartAboutHealth) - According to a new review, the popular Tamiflu is weak when it comes to the effect it has in preventing effects of the flu, such as the development of pneumonia. The new review was carried out by researchers in Great Britain, and puts into question the highly-popular flu drug. Tamiflu was the focus of this update to a review that was published back in 2006, and it looked into a total of 20 published clinical trials on the ...
December 7, 2009 | Surprised? Black market steroids usually mislabeledThe risks of anabolic steroids - used by some athletes to build muscle mass - are by now well-documented. But it turns out, perhaps not surprisingly, that steroids bought illegally through "underground labs" and over the internet generally aren't what their ...
December 6, 2009 | Prostate Hormone Therapy May Up Heart RisksDiabetes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems appear to be more common in men with prostate cancer who are treated with androgen deprivation therapy, which reduces or eliminates the male sex hormones that can promote cancer growth, a new study has found. The finding indicates that androgen therapy is overused because its benefits have not been shown to outweigh ...
Related articles:
About ED
Erectile dysfunction (ED, "male impotence") is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. An erection occurs as a hydraulic effect due to blood entering and being retained in sponge-like bodies within the penis. The process is most often initiated as a result of sexual arousal, when signals are transmitted from the brain to nerves in the pelvis. ...Section: Erectile Dysfunction
Acute prostatitis - treatment
Antibiotics are the first line of treatment in acute prostatitis. Antibiotics usually resolve acute prostatitis infections in a very short time. Appropriate antibiotics should be used, based on the microbe causing the infection. Some antibiotics have very poor penetration of the prostatic capsule, others, such as Ciprofloxacin, Co-trimoxazole and tetracyclines penetrate well. In acute prostatitis, penetration of the prostate is not as important as for category II because the intense inflammation disrupts the prostate-blood barrier. It is more important to choose a ...Section: Prostatitis
Chronic bacterial prostatitis - diagnosis
In chronic bacterial prostatitis there are bacteria in the prostate but usually no symptoms. The prostate infection is diagnosed by culturing urine as well as prostate fluid (expressed prostatic secretions or EPS) which are obtained by the doctor doing a rectal exam and putting pressure on the prostate. If no fluid is recovered after this prostatic massage, a post massage urine should also contain any prostatic bacteria. Prostate specific antigen levels may be elevated, although there is no malignancy. Semen analysis is a useful diagnostic ...Section: Prostatitis