Last week, Michelle Obama spoke about the importance of human milk feeding of infants in reducing the incidence of obesity. Several people have asked me exactly how breastfeeding confers this protective effect.
Researchers have found that there is a difference in intestinal flora (bacteria) and pH between breastfed and formula-fed infants. The breastfed infant gut has a lower pH with a higher level of healthy bacteria and fewer disease-causing organisms. The formula-fed infant gut has a higher pH which inhibits the growth of healthy bacteria and enables disease-causing bacteria to grow. Therefore, formula feeding predisposes the infant intestine to the development of long-term, low-grade inflammation, a condition associated with a number of health challenges including overweight and obesity. Because breast milk controls inflammation, it helps to protect infants and children from the development of childhood and adult obesity.
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