Tuesday
Dec282010
Who will gain the most weight?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Imagine three groups of people. They make up a variety of different socioeconomic groups, genetic backgrounds, and activity levels. As part of a study, their diets are the same except for one thing -- the type of grains they eat. Instead of eating what they like or what they think they should eat, each of them is assigned a particular type of bread to eat as their exclusive grain.
The first group is only allowed to eat store-bought enriched sliced white bread made with wheat flour (any brand).
The ingredients in the loafs of bread will generally be quite similar, but each of the manufacturers will try to convince consumers that their bread has the most "essential vitamins and minerals" and the "freshest taste". They will neglect to tell consumers that their bread is high in sodium and high fructose corn syrup that they pack in to make the bread as tasty as possible and to give it a long shelf life. They will even play to your sense of national pride, by telling you that their brand is "All American" or "Truly Canadian" as the case may be. They may even have their bread endorsed by certain doctors or non-profit organizations that claim to be looking out for your health.
The people in this group can eat as much of this bread as they want.
The second group is only allowed to eat store-bought gluten free bread (any brand).
The people in this group will not have as much choice available to them as the people in Group 1. There are only a few brands of gluten-free bread available in stores and once you find one you like, you may need to go to a specific store to get that one. It may require more time and cost you more money to get your bread. Although you know that gluten-free bread is probably better for you than wheat bread, you may be frustrated with the lack of variety and the stone heavy texture and cardboard like taste of many of the available brands.
The people in this group can eat as much of this bread as they want.
The third group is only allowed to eat homemade wholegrain bread (any recipe).
The people in this group will have to bake their own bread. They will only be allowed to prepare and bake one loaf at a time. They can use different recipes on different days, allowing them to try out a variety of different flavours. Some people in the group will be given a slightly larger bread pan and others will be given a slightly smaller bread pan, meaning that some of them will have to bake more frequently than others. The bread tastes great, but there is some work required to get the bread, which means that if they finish a loaf, they have to wait a bit before a new loaf is ready rather than sitting down to eat as many slices as they want at once. For some people, the task of baking will come naturally and they will enjoy it. Other people may find it tedious, difficult or even impossible (if it is impossible for them, they will be reassigned to another group).
The people in this group can eat as much of this bread as they want, but have to bake it themselves.
Can you predict which of these three groups is likely to gain the most weight? The least weight? It isn't too difficult to figure out which one will gain the most weight, is it? Obviously, the group that has easy access to unlimited quantities of a decent tasting, but not so healthy, over-marketed product is going to gain the most weight. The group that has slightly more difficult access to a not-so-tasty healthy product and the group that has to bake its own healthy product from scratch, one loaf at a time, are both likely to gain less weight. This seems to be fairly obvious conclusion and I don't think we really need a study to test it.
On Monday, a study was published in the Journal of Pediatrics that looked at differential growth patterns among healthy infants fed protein hydrolysate or cow-milk formulas. Researches Julia A. Mennella, PhD, Alison K. Ventura, PhD, and Gary K. Beauchamp, PhD, wanted to look at whether "healthy infants fed an extensively protein hydrolysate formula would differ in feeding behaviour and growth from those fed cow-milk formula." Families that had chosen to formula feed were randomly and blindly assigned either cow-milk formula or protein hydrolysate formula to give to their babies.
Cow-milk formula is the most common type of infant formula given to infants. Protein hydrolysate formulas, also known as hypoallergenic formulas, are generally intended for babies who are allergic to milk and/or soy and are easier to digest. Another option, apparently not looked at in this study, is soy formula (which is often given to babies who are allergic to dairy or whose parents have chosen a vegan diet for their baby).
The study found that infants who were fed cow-milk formula had weight gain that was accelerated and those drinking the hypoallergenic formula had normative weight gain, similar to that of breastfed babies.
The researchers have not yet determined the cause of the differences in the weight gain. Obviously the accessibility of the different types of formula wouldn't be an issue in this study (as the formula was provided to them), but it could be an additional factor in real life. While the researchers are hypothesizing about things like the "differences in protein content" or the "amino acid profile of the formulas" and their impact on the metabolism, I think that they should consider some other factors too:
E.g.:
Regardless of the actual answer, I do think that easy access to unlimited quantities of tasty food that has some good nutritional qualities but also some questionable ones, will obviously result in higher weight gain than the other options. As a result, whether we are talking about enriched white bread or cow's milk formula, I think parents should consider monitoring their child's intake and not putting an extra ounce in the bottle or an extra slice on the plate "just in case" their child is hungry. More often than not, the extra will be eaten and over time that does add up. Parents can make more if their child is still hungry afterward and that is a better option than simply putting extra out to begin with.
Image credit: Whole grain bread by suavehouse113 on flickr
Group 1: Store-bought enriched white bread
The first group is only allowed to eat store-bought enriched sliced white bread made with wheat flour (any brand).The ingredients in the loafs of bread will generally be quite similar, but each of the manufacturers will try to convince consumers that their bread has the most "essential vitamins and minerals" and the "freshest taste". They will neglect to tell consumers that their bread is high in sodium and high fructose corn syrup that they pack in to make the bread as tasty as possible and to give it a long shelf life. They will even play to your sense of national pride, by telling you that their brand is "All American" or "Truly Canadian" as the case may be. They may even have their bread endorsed by certain doctors or non-profit organizations that claim to be looking out for your health.
The people in this group can eat as much of this bread as they want.
Group 2: Store-bought gluten free bread
The second group is only allowed to eat store-bought gluten free bread (any brand).The people in this group will not have as much choice available to them as the people in Group 1. There are only a few brands of gluten-free bread available in stores and once you find one you like, you may need to go to a specific store to get that one. It may require more time and cost you more money to get your bread. Although you know that gluten-free bread is probably better for you than wheat bread, you may be frustrated with the lack of variety and the stone heavy texture and cardboard like taste of many of the available brands.
The people in this group can eat as much of this bread as they want.
Group 3: Homemade wholegrain bread
The third group is only allowed to eat homemade wholegrain bread (any recipe).The people in this group will have to bake their own bread. They will only be allowed to prepare and bake one loaf at a time. They can use different recipes on different days, allowing them to try out a variety of different flavours. Some people in the group will be given a slightly larger bread pan and others will be given a slightly smaller bread pan, meaning that some of them will have to bake more frequently than others. The bread tastes great, but there is some work required to get the bread, which means that if they finish a loaf, they have to wait a bit before a new loaf is ready rather than sitting down to eat as many slices as they want at once. For some people, the task of baking will come naturally and they will enjoy it. Other people may find it tedious, difficult or even impossible (if it is impossible for them, they will be reassigned to another group).
The people in this group can eat as much of this bread as they want, but have to bake it themselves.
Who will gain the most weight?
Can you predict which of these three groups is likely to gain the most weight? The least weight? It isn't too difficult to figure out which one will gain the most weight, is it? Obviously, the group that has easy access to unlimited quantities of a decent tasting, but not so healthy, over-marketed product is going to gain the most weight. The group that has slightly more difficult access to a not-so-tasty healthy product and the group that has to bake its own healthy product from scratch, one loaf at a time, are both likely to gain less weight. This seems to be fairly obvious conclusion and I don't think we really need a study to test it.
So who was surprised by the formula study?
On Monday, a study was published in the Journal of Pediatrics that looked at differential growth patterns among healthy infants fed protein hydrolysate or cow-milk formulas. Researches Julia A. Mennella, PhD, Alison K. Ventura, PhD, and Gary K. Beauchamp, PhD, wanted to look at whether "healthy infants fed an extensively protein hydrolysate formula would differ in feeding behaviour and growth from those fed cow-milk formula." Families that had chosen to formula feed were randomly and blindly assigned either cow-milk formula or protein hydrolysate formula to give to their babies.
Cow-milk formula is the most common type of infant formula given to infants. Protein hydrolysate formulas, also known as hypoallergenic formulas, are generally intended for babies who are allergic to milk and/or soy and are easier to digest. Another option, apparently not looked at in this study, is soy formula (which is often given to babies who are allergic to dairy or whose parents have chosen a vegan diet for their baby).
The study found that infants who were fed cow-milk formula had weight gain that was accelerated and those drinking the hypoallergenic formula had normative weight gain, similar to that of breastfed babies.
The researchers have not yet determined the cause of the differences in the weight gain. Obviously the accessibility of the different types of formula wouldn't be an issue in this study (as the formula was provided to them), but it could be an additional factor in real life. While the researchers are hypothesizing about things like the "differences in protein content" or the "amino acid profile of the formulas" and their impact on the metabolism, I think that they should consider some other factors too:
E.g.:
- The cow's milk formula may taste better than the hypoallergenic formula. As a result, infants may gulp down the whole bottle of cow's milk formula (even after they are full), but may only drink enough of the less tasty hypoallergenic formula to meet their nutritional needs. (This bullet was partially inspired by a tweet this morning by @sufficiency in response to the formula study.)
- There may be ingredients other than the type of protein that make a difference. For example, many cow's milk formulas contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a sweetener, whereas the hypoallergenic formulas contain only regular sugar (sucrose). This could reopen the debate about whether HFCS is more likely to contribute to obesity than sucrose. They also tend to use different types of oils - e.g. sunflower and coconut oil in the cow's milk formula versus safflower oil in the hypoallergenic formula. The ingredients vary from one formula company to the next and since I don't know which brands were used in the study, I can't compare the ingredients directly. However, I don't think it is only the protein types that have the potential to make a difference.
Regardless of the actual answer, I do think that easy access to unlimited quantities of tasty food that has some good nutritional qualities but also some questionable ones, will obviously result in higher weight gain than the other options. As a result, whether we are talking about enriched white bread or cow's milk formula, I think parents should consider monitoring their child's intake and not putting an extra ounce in the bottle or an extra slice on the plate "just in case" their child is hungry. More often than not, the extra will be eaten and over time that does add up. Parents can make more if their child is still hungry afterward and that is a better option than simply putting extra out to begin with.
Image credit: Whole grain bread by suavehouse113 on flickr
Reader Comments (41)
I don't know much about how formula is made, but I do know a bit about cows. Could any of the bovine growth hormone (natural or artificial) given to the cows be found in the formula? Hmmm...
Not so sure it's quite that simple. I honestly think it has to do more with the inability to digest the proteins, the longer digestion time, amongst a lot of things. The hypoallergenic formula is mainly corn-syrup solids... like, 48% in some brands. So though those babies may have gained less weight, comparable to breastfed babies, I'm not sure it makes them healthier, you know?
Have you seen the information on how to reverse lactose intolerance by exposure to dairy that contains full enzymes? I think that would be a good test. If we can help babies digest non-human milk better, maybe that would be the best solution, rather than turning away from animal breastmilk entirely, you know?
I don't know. You know as much as I do, that they really didn't reveal enough for good hypothesis from anyone, and it seems like they themselves didn't come to much of a conclusion either. It was noted they only used one brand of formula, just two different types.
Off topic, I'm out of bread and it's made me sad all day. I hate you. I have to get some more Dave's Killer Bread tomorrow because I can't bake, haha.
I wonder about the hypoallergenic formulas and what exactly is in them. I formula fed with a cow's milk based formula, but then again, my son was growth restricted and we wanted him to gain more weight. But for my second child (due in June) I may try the hypoallergenic formula instead.
Aside from the whole formula issue, I knew the answer about the bread right away. I've made my own whole wheat bread in my breadmaker for the last 18 months. It tastes better, is healthier, and fills me up.
Melissa E.
There are ingredient lists available for the formulas. I don't know which one was used in this study in particular, but if you look any of them up you should be able to get the information.
Christie:
I thought they avoided corn products (including corn syrup) in the hypo-allergenic formula because corn is also an allergen. The ingredient list for Alimentum (which I was surprised to see soy oil in), is:
Sorry about the bread.... :D
abbie:
That is an interesting question. This was a US study and in Canada the use of bovine growth hormones is not allowed. So if the formula sold in Canada is made with milk from Canadian cows, it then that wouldn't be an issue here.
If I had to place a bet, I would probably say that like sliced white bread, there are many aspects of it that could lead to weight gain and not just one single one.
Argh. What formula was it that was 48% corn syrup solids? Maybe it was soy. My bad!
Looked it up, yeah, soy formula is almost 50% corn syrup. *shudder*
Ezekiel bread is not gluten free. ;-)
I was curious about this study and why they would focus on only one brand of formula. According to their website, the Monell Chemical Senses Center receives funding from most (all?) of the big formula companies, and "Under certain guidelines, sponsoring companies may confidentially support specific projects that are of a basic nature and are within the scope of the Center’s research interests." I'm sure that happens often enough with research, but I'm just guessing that's why only one unnamed brand was used. And I know it's hard to find independent research dollars, but it does make me skeptical about the intent of the study...
why were you surprised to find soy oil in the hypoallergenic formula?
@Marc, it seems that babes who have trouble with protein in cows' mlk have trouble with soy, too. That's how my little one was, and I heard the same from other parents. (Eliminating dairy turned out to be far easier than soy. Soy is in everything!)
My daughter had lots of metabolic issues after she was born and despite everything we tried, at two weeks of age, had only lost and lost weight. The only thing that worked was an elemental, hypoallergenic formula. I went on a total elimination diet for several weeks and tried breastfeeding again, and within days, she was losing weight and had major diarrhea problems. It's been a year, and I still second-guess all the things we tested and did in those early days, wishing we had found a way for things to turn out differently. Ultimately, she's a hilarious and seemingly healthy one-year-old, who wouldn't be with us without that stuff, and so I have to be grateful for it.
Anyway, I die a little every time I see studies that give me more and more worries about the impact of her formula year on her future health. Finally here's one that maybe makes me die a little less. Between the corn syrup-based stuff she had for the first 7 months and the soy formula that she's now 'graduated' to, it seems there is no shortage of things that my daughter could be at higher risk for as she grows. It's actually made me almost stop following this blog several times because it's hard to keep hearing about all the ways formula is an inferior food, but I keep hanging around for the perspectives on other topics.
Oh, and the formula we had to use was 55% "corn syrup solids" - hideous to see every time you feed your baby - although I think it may actually differ slightly from "high fructose corn syrup" (not that it probably makes a whole lot of difference...) Anyone know? Once I got past the point where the situation only made me cry, a friend and I would joke that pretty soon we could just crush up a multivitamin and put it in a Coke. It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper that way.
In my rather limited experience (nursed my own 2 but have feed countless babies countless types of formula as a postpartum doula), the cow milk formula actually tastes pretty bad, unless it's a sucrose-based formula; some of the elemental formulas are horrific and some are actually sweet and pleasant. So it's really hard to generalize. Also, a mama with a good milk supply has her own easily accessed source of extremely tasty milk, so if it were just taste you might expect breastfed babies to actually be heaviest.
Which, interestingly, they ARE for the first several months, though formula-fed babies generally end up heavier by the end of the 1st year. My experience also tells me this is partially because exclusively breastfed babies keep most of their calorie input in the form of breast milk throughout the 1styear of life while formula-fed babies generally take to solids at an earlier age and in greater amounts than breast-fed babies. Why is that I wonder? Are they bored with formula which always tastes the same? Are their parents more eager to introduce solids in their formula-fed children? Do breastfed babies just know they are getting the best nutrition at the breast and want to keep it that way?
I think this is a big part of the reason why formula-fed children on average end up weighing a bit more in the long run, which makes it all the more important for parents to develop good eating habits in their toddlers and preschoolers, regardless of what kind of milk they gave them as babies - offer a wide variety of healthy foods, limit junk food, and don't chase your toddler around the house with a fork! :)
@Geigerin, sorry to hear your little one had trouble with soy. my son has life-threatening allergies to both milk and soy (among several others). i asked because soy oil is ok since there is (virtually) no protein, especially not when it is highly refined as would be used in this type of formula. and yes, soy is unfortunately in almost everything.
@Sara, I like the multivitamin and pop idea - I'm sure one of the big brands has already tried that but health canada denied them :)) As for allergies and metabolic issues: been there, got the t-shirt, and have a bright and (mostly) good-natured 5 year old now. I personally think the long-term feeding habits (e.g., white vs whole-grain bread) and exercise have much more to do with general health than what babies are fed initially.
I suppose I shouldn't be shocked that there is HFCS in formula. But it is still terrifying.
As for the bread analogy- I know it's not the point but I would gain the most weight with the homemade bread. It is the tastiest and I would eat the most.
Nicole:
Oops! I was having trouble finding an image for gluten free bread last night. I read that Food for Life had not so tasty gluten free bread and grabbed an image of their bread. I didn't realize they made both wheat and gluten-free types. I've updated the image with one that is gluten free now.
Kristin:
I think I would eat a lot of the homemade bread too, but I also think I would be more likely to feel satisfied by it without overeating.
Yes, that was the reason I was surprised to see soy. I didn't realize that soy oil would be okay for people who are allergic to soy.
Geigerin:
I would also suspect some sort of corporate influence there.
The other possibility is that because it was a small study and they wanted to limit the number of possible variables and those variables would have increased if they included several different brands of cow's milk formula and several different brands of hypoallergenic formula. However, I do think that if they want to learn more about this, that they do need to take it further and include more brands and also look at things like organic vs. non-organic, put soy into the mix as a third option. I also think they should look at babies fed breast milk in a bottle (i.e. exclusively pumping moms) so that they can understand to what extent effects come from the feeding method versus the substance being fed.
marc:
I agree that long term feeding habits and exercise have more to do with general health. What I do find interesting about this study though, is the potential that babies are perhaps being given the opportunity and perhaps even encouraged to finish that bottle, which may then later turn into "clean your plate" and eventually to just eating the whole bag of chips because it isn't worth putting a 1/4 bag back in the cupboard. Those habits can be hard to break, unless you end up stuck with only not so tasty things to eat.
Michele:
I do agree that breastmilk is generally the tastiest (just like the homemade bread), but the flow of milk does slow at a certain point and while babies can continue to get something from the breast they can't keep gulping it down continually like they could if they were handed another bottle of formula or if their bottle contained 2oz more than they needed.
With regards to the introduction of solids, I think there may be a number of different factors:
1) I think parents who choose to formula feed (not those who have to because breastfeeding didn't work out) may be less likely to pay attention to nutritional guidelines on what to introduce and when. So they may be more likely to start giving solids earlier because their friends are, because their mom is pressuring them, because the labels on the products say it is okay to do so, or even because their doctor doesn't have the updated guidelines.
2) I do find that formula fed babies seem to take to solids a lot more quickly than breastfed babies, so I do agree with you that the formula fed babies may be bored with their formula and appreciate the variety. I don't tend to hear as many formula feeding families mentioning difficulties getting their infants to eat solids. Most of them seem to not be able to get enough of it.
My guess is that once you take a look at the price of the hypoallergenic formula (it's twice as expensive), smell it and look at it, you will change your mind. It smells literally like vomit and babies who have to drink it stink too. It may be "healthier" than regular cow-milk based formula, but I do not see parents choosing this for their babies unless they absolutely have to.
That was my thought on the study. The cow's milk formula would cause greater weight gains because cow's milk is naturally designed to grow large cows quickly. Not a bad thing when you're a cow, but concerning when you're a human.
I wrote about this too here http://www.growingyourbaby.com/2010/12/29/study-finds-babies-may-gain-extra-weight-on-standard-formula%E2%80%8E/
I agree Elita. I haven't smelled it myself, but I've heard it is pretty bad. The expense is an issue too, which is another reason I liked the analogy I used, because gluten free bread is generally much more expensive than your average loaf of enriched white bread.
My only reservation about your analogy takes me back to a pregnancy book I read years ago when I was pregnant with my son. "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" by Vivky Iovine (a vapid, ridiculous book that I read before I knew anything about anything and would not recommend at all) talks about breastfeeding as the equivalent to baking your own bread in the sense that it is the ideal, perfect thing, but really, who bakes bread anymore? And will eating store bought bread really kill you?
I absolutely see your point, and I think the readers of this blog are not likley to be misled by the analogy, but it is important to note that the standard for breastfeeding (as the default normal thing to do) is not quite the same as the standard for baking one's own bread, which most busy people don't have time to do.
My other reaction to this study is the following: My son was exclusively breastfed and gained a pound a week to go from just under 8lb at birth to 15.5 lb at 8 weeks to 19 lb at four months. All before he ever had a morsel of solids or even a bottle of expressed breast milk (he started daycare at 4 months). If he were formula fed his doctors would be rightly concerned about obesity. But because I was nursing him on demand I *knew* that he was exactly the size that he was supposed to be. By breastfeeding and growing the way he did, he was fulfilling his biological imperative to be the next Michelin baby :-D
Now, at age 5 he is tall and skinny and all that remains from his old baby chub are his still-delicious cheeks.
Incidentally, my daughter nursed the same way, and was much more petite. Isn't biology wonderful?
I don't know, PHF stinks and tastes terrible. The institute that did the study is interested in smells and tastes, not health outcomes of breastfeeding vs formula feeding. My guess is that a baby fed something that doesn't taste particularly good and doesn't smell good is going to eat less. The babies all spent the same amount of time with their bottles, the PHF group just drank less before pushing the bottle away. Also some of the babies in the small study were also being breastfed and the babies were getting solids around 3.5 months. Overall I just don't think we can read that much into this and say that PHFs are the better choice for babies.
What I think is interesting about this is how the formula companies may use it for marketing purposes. This is the second study to show an advantage to PHF, the first a few months ago that said babies fed PHF were less likely to develop diabetes. Even if these two studies are terrible, they can be used to market a type of formula that is twice as expensive to feed your baby and can bankrupt you. You've already gotten one comment from a mom who is thinking of buying this more expensive formula for baby #2. Remember when the formula companies started adding DHA/ARA to their products and then poof, regular formula disappeared? Could the same thing happen again, with regular milk-based formula? It sounds far-fetched but I never put anything past the formula companie$.
It is true that soybean oils and lecithin are okay for most since they are so refined, but some, including my infant son, react to the oils. And that was just through my breastmilk. It sucks, but it comes down to eating whole, natural foods and reading EVERY label carefully.
I hate this study, I truly hate this study. Not only did they use money that could be actually put to good use, and it's something that is really not needing a study for - it's a weight study. I just know all those skinny breastfeeding mothers with skinny breastfeed children are going to look at this study and say, "Hey, maybe this will be the doctor off my back". I guess I am just touchy. I actually came back from the doctors for my daughter, thought I would go on FB to calm down, and this study was shared. I am so tired about talking about weight rather than the issue I walked in their for.
I am trying to see how this study could be used for good (meaning not used against breastfeeding), but I am still heated with the doctor's visit.
This is interesting to read when also considering the idea of feeding a baby on demand. I had to supplement my breastfeeding, and I did so with formula, but I'd read (possibly in the Sears' Baby Book?) that it would be better to feed formula on demand like one would do with breastfeeding. I would give her whatever she wanted to eat when she wanted to eat, not forcing her to finish a bottle if she acted like she was done eating or giving her more if she seemed like she was still hungry. I'm wondering if that would still be advisable based on these results and thinking in terms of your analogy: would it have been preferable to limit her intake of formula like it would be preferable to limit one's intake of highly processed bread? Interestingly enough, her size has been consistently in the 70-80% on growth charts, and she only started to look more chunky when she started to eat solids on a more consistent basis.
Annie, thanks for crediting my tweet ;) I agree with Elita that we can't read much into this study and that the companies are just going to use this to make families pay more for their products.
I do suspect that the partially hydrolyzed formulas are healthier for some babies than conventional cow-milk formula - most likely those at risk for allergic and auto-immune conditions... But in the absence of those risk factors I don't see any strong evidence for preferring the PHFs, especially given the difficulty of accessing them.
I was going to guess that the gluten-free bread group gained the most weight, as I've seen some millet breads with many more calories per slice than wheat bread. But anyway, as for feeding babies I am whole-heartedly for breastmilk, if mine for some reason doesn't come in I will find another source and if mine for some reason comes in like crazy, I will donate it. Because homemade really is best.
Marc, Thank you for that perspective. I really need to hear more of that type of thing. That, and get more years down the road. Right now, I can only say, "Wow. She's been eating primarily corn syrup and processed soybeans for her WHOLE life." The older she gets, the smaller part of her life this past year will be, and hopefully we've gotten her through the worst of it relatively intact. Thanks.
clarification - soy oil and lecithin would be okay for most people who are allergic to soy - not all (ref Kristen's post above).
Sara, you're very welcome - just remember to pay it forward when your time comes ;)
Jess, I thought the same thing about feeding on demand. I failed at breastfeeding so my daughter was almost exclusively formula fed. I was trying to be an AP mother so I fed my daughter on demand. When I first switched to formula I stressed a lot about whether I was overfeeding her because I was worried about weight gain. But then I read Dr. Sears and began to feed on demand because I wanted to foster the attachment with my child, especially given that I'd failed at breastfeeding. Although it always seemed like my daughter wanted more than what I'd read in the books but her weight was always around the 50th percentile.
I worry that this study will be used by the baby schedulers, e.g. Babywise, to justify feeding schedules.
Oh me too. At first I thought this post was really just about bread, and I was bummed that it didn't include a recipe for the yummy bread pictured. Not that formula isn't an interesting topic too, just that I got totally caught up in the analogy! lol.
So hungry for homemade bread now...
Be careful about what you joke about! When my daughter was pretty sick last February, her pediatrician actually http://parenthood.phibian.com/?ID=263" rel="nofollow">recommended Coke to rehydrate her. Yikes!
Formula was invented for situations like yours. The trouble is that instead of just keeping formula for those situations where it is required, formula companies have been forced into the game of "expanding their market" etc etc. It's important to remember that breastfeeding was pretty uncommon just a generation or two ago, and even now with all the emphasis most women stop much earlier than is really ideal. Reading the first edition of a book like "Nursing your baby" by Karen Prior is pretty eye opening - it makes you understand why breastfeeding advocates are often so militant (born out of a very unsupportive environment).
The unfortunate thing is that some ladies who really want to breastfeed and can't for various reasons get caught in the crossfire. That wasn't my situation but I did have a c-section and have a similar reaction whenever I read studies about the rising rate of c-sections and how babies born naturally do better etc etc. I've found it helpful to remind myself that the study isn't really about my situation (Elizabeth would have died without the c-section). In the same way, your child would have died without the formula. You don't need to beat yourself up about whether she would have been healthier longterm. You already know she'd be dead.
Your analogy doesn't make much sense to me. Who eats gluten free bread if they don't have to? If you are celiac like me, you'd definitely gain the most weight eating the gluten free bread, since the other two would make you sick sick sick.
Mary @ Parenthood:
I know a lot of people who ate wheat for most of their lives, but then tried a gluten free diet and felt healthier as a result of it. Some people believe that wheat is not healthy for humans to consume. Other people find that they are sensitive to it, even if it doesn't make them sick sick sick. It just makes them lethargic, anxious or something else. They *can* live with that, but prefer not to.
Nice discussion...
I prefer to eat homemade wholegrain bread but the problem is I don't know how to bake it. Hmnnn...
Breast milk is still best for our babies. Thanks.