Quick Read: Breastfeeding May Not Ward Off Child Obesity

Many studies have looked at whether or not breastfeeding helps protect against childhood obesity. While plenty find a link, some suggest it may be related to different lifestyle choices by women who choose to breastfeed. This new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association looks at women in Belarus who were part of a program promoting nursing among women who may not have otherwise made that choice. This study found no difference in weight and body fat in children who had been nursed as infants.

Source: Reuters

Breastfeeding does not seem to protect babies against becoming overweight or obese kids, a large, new study says.

"It's just a reality check that in itself, promoting breastfeeding, while a good thing and will have other health benefits, is unlikely to have any effects on stemming the obesity epidemic," said the study's lead author, Richard Martin, from the University of Bristol, UK.