I sent this comment yesterday, but it either has yet to be moderated or was deemed “unworthy” by whoever is moderating this thread. I have now registered with the site and will try again:

While not trying to pick any fights with the breast feeding evangelists, I feel compelled to point out that the headline here and on the BBC article is a classic case of the kind of over-reporting that often occurs around scientific studies and topics.

The study does not show that breast feeding provides benefits for mothers. It has only discovered a correlation between breast feeding and women that have a reduced incidence of certain health problems later in life. The key graph comes at the very end of the BBC article:

“However, it only showed an association between breast feeding and these health benefits. We will need further research to understand why this is the case.”

There very well may be a causal connection between extended breast feeding and later positive health outcomes for mothers who do so. The mechanism by which this might happen that is spelled out in the BBC article is plausible. However, there are also lots of other reasons for why such a correlation might exist that have nothing to do with the act of breast feeding being the cause of the positive health outcomes.

One obvious reason for such outcomes that springs to mind is that it is probably true that mothers who live lower stress lives are more likely to breast feed and breast feed longer than mothers who live in higher stress situations. We know that there is a causal connection between lower stress and better health. The association found in the above study may just be seeing a side effect of lower stress lives (increased incidence of breast feeding) with the lower stress itself being the cause of the better health outcomes.

Again, not trying to pick a fight. I have no problem believing that breast feeding is generally the optimal solution for early infant nutrition. Mothers who want to and are able to breast feed should do so. There are probably also a lot of incidental benefits to breast feeding that do not necessarily directly affect the long-term health of the mother. Breast feeding advocates do have a tendency to present breast feeding as the only viable option and demonize - whether intentionally or not - mothers who for whatever reason do not or cannot breast feed.

Accurate information is always best, and the study cited simply does not show what the articles are claiming it does. As the BBC article states, more research is needed.

Corporate america meddling in people’s business where profits take priority over all else. And just as some corporate shrill on another post commented:

“”“Incorporation is a valuable vehicle for good, as well as bad. Cooperative organizations, corporations, facilitate self-governance within the context of our ‘chosen’ system. Similarly, it’s not the television that’s bad…it’s how it’s used.”“”

Yeah, fat lot of good they do with how they control and operate those corporations and how much good those tvs are being controlled by the MSM. Poisons are ‘good’ when used to eradicate vermin.

I usually dislike the BBC News’ articles on health.  There is a point I’d like to make about breastfeeding/nursing, from the mother’s point of view:it’s easy, relaxing (due to hormone release)and the baby makes more milk as s/he needs more by “demand”.  The LaLeche League was wonderful in the old days, and may still be around.

There is little money to be made with healthy people, living healthy lives.

It’s much more profitable, to make everyone as sick as possible, then sell them drugs, invasive medical procedures, and costly insurance premiums.

Good job, Truthdig, posting this article!
Of interest might also be how the baby formula companies have been hard at work for decades in shaming and discouraging mothers from breastfeeding their infants.  The formula companies’ actions are criminal, the difference between breastfeeding and not breastfeeding is a matter of life or death for millions around the world. 

Here’s a little about Nestle, one of the many manufacturers of formula:

  The Nestle Boycott

Why
In order to sell more of its infant formula in third world countries, Nestle would hire women with no special training and dress them up as nurses to give out free samples of Nestle formula. The free samples lasted long enough for the mother’s breast milk to dry up from lack of use. Then mothers would be forced to purchase the formula but, being poor, they would often mix the formula with unsanitary water or ‘stretch’ the amount of formula by diluting it with more water than recommended. The result was that babies starved all over the Third World while Nestle made huge profits from this predatory marketing strategy.

Then
In 1977, a world-wide boycott was launched against the Nestle Corporation, which was found to be the most unethical of the several companies selling baby formula at the time.  Consumers all across the world stopped purchasing Nestle products.  The World Health Organization drafted the International Code on the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, which was signed by much of the world in the early ‘80’s and finally by the United States in 1994.

Now
After a brief hiatus the Nestle boycott was relaunched in 1988 and continues to this day.  A recent report called “Cracking the Code” outlines the many present-day violations of the W.H.O. code.  This report is available from UNICEF at:

UNICEF
Unit 1, Rignals Lane
Chelmsford, Essex
CM2 8TU
United Kingdom
Tel: (01245)476315

Presently, the International boycott of Nestle products covers 18 countries:  Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and USA.  The International Boycott is presently being coordinated by Baby Milk Action.

What You Can Do
Nestle is the world’s largest baby food company and increases it’s profits by promoting artificial infant feeding in violation of the W.H.O. code that has been signed by the US and many other nations.  Nestle knows that once a bottle has become between a mother and her child breastfeeding is more likely to fail and the company has gained a customer. Because of Nestle’s continued disrespect for the International Code and infant health the best thing you can do is stop purchasing Nestle products.