Children born to Overweight Mothers 'more likely to be Fat'... but Breastfeeding can offset the Effect

Afrik Update

Health

By Jenny Hope




                   

Children born to overweight mothers face a higher risk of being fat themselves – but breastfeeding can help offset the effect, a study has shown.

 Being overweight and smoking during pregnancy both increase the chances of a child being obese, along with being heavy at birth and rapid weight gain as a baby.

  

But breastfeeding and the late introduction of solid foods can reduce a baby’s risk of becoming overweight by about 15 per cent, claim the researchers.

Breastfeeding and the late introduction of solid foods can reduce a baby's risk of becoming overweight by about 15 per cent, researchers claim

They say it should help new mothers make healthier choices for their babies.

Stephen Weng, who undertook the study, led by Dr Sarah  Redsell, of Nottingham University’s School of Nursing,   

Midwifery and Physiotherapy, said complex influences affected child development, ranging from genetics  to parents’ lifestyle.

He added: ‘We can speculate about how breastfeeding  mitigates the risk of obesity in childhood – it could be mixed feeding, reduced calories from breastmilk, parental attitudes, or a combination of things.

‘The research shows that breastfeeding your baby compared with never breastfeeding does have a modest benefit.’

Giving solid foods early may be linked to later obesity, with one study showing formula-fed babies given solids before four months were six times more likely to be overweight aged three than those getting them for the first time between four and five months.

Smoking during pregnancy alone increased the risk of children being overweight by 47.5 per cent. However, this may be because smoking is a good indicator of other social and lifestyle characteristics, said Dr Weng.

He said the findings could be used to compile a ‘checklist’ for GPs and health visitors to help them spot infants most at risk of becoming obese later in life.