母乳喂养也许是造成儿童间体重差异的一个原因

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Breastfeeding may help explain weight disparities

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Lower rates of breastfeeding may help explain why minority and disadvantaged U.S. children are at greater risk of becoming overweight, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among 739 10- to 19-year-olds, those who had been breastfed for more than four months had a lower average body mass index (BMI), and lower odds of being overweight.

This was true regardless of race or parents' education levels, the researchers report in the journal Pediatrics. However, the study found, there were disparities when it came to rates of breastfeeding; 40 percent of white adolescents but only 11 percent of black children had been breastfed for at least four months.

There was a similar difference when the researchers looked at parents' education levels, a marker of socioeconomic status. Forty percent of children with college-educated parents had been breastfed for at least four months, versus 18 percent of those with less-educated parents.

\"This really does suggest that if we could somehow increase the frequency and duration of breastfeeding in these groups, we could reduce disparities in (obesity),\" said researcher Dr. Jessica G. Woo of Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

A number of previous studies have suggested that breastfeeding may lower children's risk of becoming overweight later in life, though some others have found no such relationship. There are several theories on why breastfeeding might directly affect childhood weight gain, Woo told Reuters Health.

One is that, compared with bottle-feeding, breastfeeding allows infants to have more control over how much they eat; this may have lasting effects on children's ability to self-regulate their calorie intake.

Researchers also speculate that breast milk itself may have lasting metabolic effects that aid in weight control.

The bottom line, according to Woo, is that, whatever the effects on children's weight, breastfeeding has many potential benefits for children and mothers.

Breastfed babies have a lower risk of illnesses like diarrhea and middle-ear infections, and breastfeeding has also been linked to lower odds of allergies, asthma and childhood leukemia.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional groups recommend that babies be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life. This, Woo said, \"is a goal that everyone should strive for.\"

She suggested that women who are having difficulty breastfeeding talk to their doctors and seek out local resources for help. Many health clinics and hospitals, for example, have lactation specialists who help new mothers get past the obstacles to breastfeeding.
纽约（路透社 健康）－一个新的研究表明，母乳喂养比率的减低也许可以解释为什么少数和贫困的美国儿童未来超重的几率更高

研究者们发现在739名10～19岁的人中，接受母乳喂养超过4个月的平均体重指数更低，超重几率更小。

研究者在儿科学杂志中写到，不考虑父母亲的人种或是教育水平，这个结论是完全正确的。然而，研究也发现，当考虑到母乳喂养的比率时，还存在着差异；40％的白人青少年和只有11％的黑人小孩接受过超过4个月的母乳喂养。

当研究者观察通常被当作是社会经济学身份的标志的父母亲的教育水平时，他们发现了一个类似的不同。受过大学教育的父母亲中有40％ 对他们的孩子进行了超过4个月的母乳喂养，而低于这个教育水平的父母中这样做的只占18％。

辛辛那提儿童医院的一名学者Jessica G. Woo博士说，“这些发现提示我们，如果我们能够提高这类人群母乳喂养的频率和持续时间，那么我们就可以降低肥胖的差异”。

许多之前的研究表明，母乳喂养可以降低孩子长大以后超重的几率，尽管也有些研究没有发现这两者中有什么联系。不过Woo对路透社健康的记者说，在为什么母乳喂养可能会直接影响小孩儿未来体重增加的方面是有一些理论依据的。

其中一个是，与奶瓶喂养相比较，母乳喂养可以使得婴儿对他们吃多少有更多的控制，这可能会对儿童自我控制他们摄取的卡路里有长期影响的效应。

研究者也推测认为母乳本身对体重控制方面有持续的代谢效应。

根据Woo所说，不管母乳喂养对儿童体重的影响是怎样的，母乳喂养都对儿童和母亲有很多潜在的好处。

母乳喂养的婴儿更不容易得象腹泻或是中耳炎这样的疾病，而且母乳喂养也可以降低过敏，哮喘和儿童白血病的几率。

美国儿科学会和其他的专业组织建议，在出生后的前六个月一定要只用母乳喂养婴儿。Woo说，“这是每个人都要争取到的一个目标”。

她建议那些母乳喂养有困难的女性和她们的医生谈谈，寻找当地资源以得到帮助。例如，许多健康诊所和医院都有哺乳期专家可以帮助母亲们克服母乳喂养中遇到的障碍。


母乳喂养有助儿童远离哮喘,可减低过敏风险,智商也高