A new study suggests that introducing babies to milk before 2 weeks of age can prevent milk allergies later. “Lactavist” Hannah points out its flaws and dangers of such studies.
For decades, the World Health Organization and medical associations around the world have recommended exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life. Breastmilk provides babies with all their nutritional needs, and contains antibodies and other substances that protect babies from infection. Numerous studies show that early introduction of formula increases the risk of illness and hospitalization. Yet when a faulty Israeli study sponsored by the Israeli Milk Council found an increased risk of dairy allergy among exclusively breastfed babies, lead researcher Jacob Katz recommended offering cow’s milk to babies within two weeks birth.
Breastmilk is natural, free and green. It’s important to consider all the facts before telling parents to go out and buy a box of expensive and highly-processed cow’s milk formula and a baby bottle, when mother’s milk is readily available.
Sharron Zabary, an researcher in the immune system at Tel Aviv University, examined Katz’s study in the Israeli site Walla and pointed out several major flaws. Funded by the Israeli Milk Council, the study looked at 13,000 mothers and babies. The mothers were asked to report–months and weeks later–the day the baby first drank cow’s milk, and any allergy symptoms that occurred in the following days.
The study concluded that the incidence of dairy allergies was nineteen (!) times higher among exclusively breastfed babies or babies who received supplements after two weeks of age, than in those who received supplements in the first two weeks.
The medical literature reports an incidence of dairy allergy of one to three percent among babies exposed to cow’s milk formula, compared to only 0.5 percent among exclusively breastfed babies. But Katz’s study found a 0.5 percent incidence across the board. Since the study relied on post-partum mothers to recall, weeks later, the exact date their babies first received cow’s milk formula and subsequent allergic reactions, it’s likely that much of the data was flawed.
Even more confounding is that the study did not consider supplements in the hospital stay after birth, where most babies end exclusive breastfeeding with a bottle of cow’s milk fed them by a nurse.
We should be especially wary when companies that promote cow’s milk and baby formula get involved in breastfeeding studies. Even in the unlikely case that the study’s results turn out to be accurate, Katz’s recommendations ignore the many proven risks of early introduction of formula. Dairy allergy is rarely life-threatening and usually passes after a year of age, while gastro-intestinal infections, a common result of early supplementation, can lead to serious illness or even death.
More Green Posts on babies:
Breastfeed Your Baby in a Hijab: Public Breastfeeding in the Middle East
Maccabee Health Fund Undermines Babies’ Health
Avoid These Common Misconceptions When Breastfeeding Your Baby
Author: Hannah Katsman
Hannah learned environmentalism from her mother, a conservationist before it was in style. Once a burglar tried to enter their home in Cincinnati after noticing the darkened windows (covered with blankets for insulation) and the snow-covered car in the driveway. Mom always set the thermostat for 62 degrees Fahrenheit (17 Celsius) — 3 degrees lower than recommended by President Nixon — because “the thermostat is in the dining room, but the stove’s pilot light keeps the kitchen warmer.” Her mother would still have preferred today’s gas-saving pilotless stoves. Hannah studied English in college and education in graduate school, and arrived in Petach Tikva in 1990 with her husband and oldest child. Her mother died suddenly six weeks after Hannah arrived and six weeks before the first Gulf War, and Hannah stayed anyway. She has taught English but her passion is parental education and support, especially breastfeeding. She recently began a new blog about energy- and time-efficient meal preparation called CookingManager.Com. You can find her thoughts on parenting, breastfeeding, Israeli living and women in Judaism at A Mother in Israel. Hannah can be reached at hannahk (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
