http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/290/13/1721
So I am not a mother but I still found this research paper very interesting (and by that I mean the content of the abstract). I will, of course, summarize for you. Basically if you give your infant foods containing gluten before the age of 6months you are greatly increasing their risk for Type 1 diabetes as well as numerous allergies are possible. The researchers looked at insulin, glutemic acid decarboxylase and IA-2 antibodies of children periodically from birth to age 8. The children that were breastfed had no significant increase risk of developing islet autoantibodies. However the children fed food supplementation containing gluten before 3 month had significant increases in islet autoantibody risk. Islet autoantibodys are the cells present that determine type 1 diabetes.
http://thestir.cafemom.com/toddler/117014/when_toddlers_are_exposed_to
To tie in just a big i found this article funny (mostly the pics) basically it is about toddlers who are exposed to breastfeeding and then when they are "playing" they act like they are breastfeeding with their dolls. I'm not going to say much else about it because there is no medical research behind it. Still no reason not to breastfeed because it is not "cool" because you are potentially putting your child at risk for diabetes and other allergies and disorders. As a side note I was searching for infant formulas to see what was in them and there are a number of sites talking about gluten-free formulas and curing autisim. I have not fully researched if there is a possible connection or not but definatly something to think about.
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Very interesting information. I've always been a believer in "the more you know", but I think it's unproductive to use shaming language like, "you are potentially putting your child at risk for diabetes and other allergies and disorders." In our patriarchal society, this kind of statement robs women, especially mothers, of their agency. Our default position should be trusting women to know what is best for their families - regardless of whether or not they breastfeed.
ReplyDeleteThat said, this is a really interesting study. I've never heard of a link between gluten and diabetes. If that study is independently confirmed hopefully manufacturers will make all formula gluten-free. Definitely doctors should make sure to educate parents about the risks.
its more of when you start feeding solid foods and that should be recommended to you by your doctor miss feminist sister but formula choice is is in the hands of the mother and choosing between a sugary cheap one vs a rounded more moderatly priced, again something you can get recommended from your doctor. i'm not sure how widely spread this article on gluten is or how long this info has been available. hopefully docs are educating new mothers on this issue
ReplyDeleteWait... lemme understand. Are we talking about the age at which a child is switched from breastfeeding to formula/solid foods or the choice whether or not to breastfeed at all?
ReplyDeleteMy point about your language choice is more about the way you're expressing yourself and how that might be interpreted differently than you meant. When you, as an unaccredited medical person, say that mothers who don't breastfeed are putting their kids at risk, it's easy to walk away with the impression that all mothers who don't breastfeed are bad mothers, ignorant, or dangerous. This simply isn't the case - there are lots of valid scenarios in which not breast-feeding is the appropriate option for both mother and child. But when you make the blanket statement, stupid people will latch onto it and then regurgitate it back at women to make them feel like bad mothers.