Prevention of Obesity in Breastfeeding Mothers and their Babies

Prevention of Obesity in Breastfeeding Mothers and
their Babies

Morrisville, NC-The United States Lactation Consultant Association
(USLCA) recognizes that obesity is a common problem in the United States
for both women and children. January is Healthy Weight Management Month. One of
the easiest and most healthy ways to prevent obesity is to breastfeed and to be
breastfed. In the United States 32.7% of U.S. adults 20 years and older are
overweight, 34.3% are obese and 5.9% are extremely obese. The American Obesity Association
states that 15.5% of
adolescents (ages 12 to 19) and 15.3% of children (ages 6 to 11) are obese.These
alarming statistics also drive up health care costs by $100 billion a year.

Since 1960, the rate of obese Americans has been on the rise. Children who are obese
at a young age are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, metabolic disorders,
depression and other diseases which will impact the rest of their lives. It is
estimated that the increase of obesity in this country has also attributed to
the death rate in our country. Each year in the U.S obesity causes at least
300,000 unnecessary deaths. The states with the lowest rates of breastfeeding
generally demonstrate the highest rates of overweight and obesity.

Breastfeeding an infant through the first year can decrease childhood obesity. The Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that "for each month of
exclusive breastfeeding, up to age 9 months, the risk of obesity is decreased
by 4%." By breastfeeding a child for 9 months or more there is a 30% less
chance of a child being an overweight adult. Lactation has also been associated
with postpartum
weight loss in the exclusively breastfeeding mother.

Not only do breastfed infants reduce their likelihood of childhood obesity, they
are taught and learn from an early age what the most nutritious foods are and how
to make healthy choices. These healthy choices can potentially impact an
adult's health and can avoid the many diseases obesity can cause.

USLCA president, Laurie Beck, RN, MSN,
IBCLC calls upon hospitals, physicians, and all other health care providers to
recommend and support breastfeeding as an early preventive health behavior in
the efforts to educate women on the prevention of obesity. "Educating parents
on the optimal nutrition breast milk provides is important for healthy families
and can decrease the rate of childhood obesity in this country." says Beck.

Knowledgeable
professional breastfeeding support can be obtained from lactation consultants
with the IBCLC credential (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant).
To locate a lactation consultant for assistance with breastfeeding go to http://www.uslca.org.
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Mission: To build and sustain a national association that
advocates for lactation professionals
Vision: IBCLCs
are valued recognized members of the health care team.

The United States Lactation Consultant Association(ULSCA), is
organized exclusively for the advocacy of Lactation Professionals, including
educational and scientific purposes as contemplated by Section 501 (c) (6) of
the United States Internal Revenue Code.
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