Exclusive Benefits of Breast Milk in Preventing Obesity in Children

Medical Video: 12 Infant Nutrition Do's & Don'ts | Baby Development

Mother's Milk (ASI) is a natural food for babies produced by postpartum mothers. Exclusive breastfeeding is breastfeeding in infants without being accompanied by food or drink, even mineral water, for the first six months. Breast milk contains all the nutrients a baby needs during the first six months and fulfills half of the baby's nutritional needs for up to two years of life.

Giving breast milk by adding other foods will trigger the baby's body to form fat cells earlier than usual. This is what causes abnormal storage of body fat in children aged over five years before adolescence, or known as obesity in children. The earlier the child's age when overweight, the greater the risk of suffering from obesity.

Symptoms of obesity in children are characterized by body weight that is not in accordance with height and exceeds the normal limit of his age. Unlike obesity, obese children have very much fat accumulation throughout the body, especially in the upper arms, abdomen and waist.

Impact on children when the baby is overweight

More weight children since babies are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease and health problems during the growth period, including:

increase in cholesterol and blood pressure
increase in blood glucose levels
experiencing bone and joint growth problems
shortness of breath while sleeping (sleep apnea)

The impact will increase along with the growth of children until adolescence and even adults. As with obesity in general, obesity in children can be prevented if the first year of age is given exclusive breastfeeding.

How exclusive breastfeeding prevents obesity in children

Exclusive breastfeeding or without giving other food to the baby is the best way to meet the baby's nutritional needs. Here are some of the benefits of breastfeeding in preventing obesity in children:

1. Prevent metabolic intake that is not needed by the baby

The body of a baby who is given additional food before six months of age will digest more protein and total carbohydrates than if the baby only gets exclusive breast milk. This will trigger an increase in baby's weight and will continue to increase until entering the age of children and cause obesity.

2. Prevent storing fat in the baby's body

The baby's body needs adequate food reserves. If the baby already has too much fat stores, the baby will be at risk of growing over weight and becoming obese at the age of the child. Exclusive breastfeeding will prevent the formation of fat cells in infants due to excessive secretion of the hormone insulin and digestive hormones from the pancreas and stomach.

3. Helps establish a balance of baby's energy needs

Breast milk contains hormones and other biological components that regulate the intake of food and carbohydrates needed, and will help maintain the balance of the energy needs of infants to adults. So by not providing unneeded intake, this will help the function of breast milk in shaping the balance of the baby's energy needs to avoid obesity in the future.

Researchers have also proven this with several studies. One study showed that children who were breastfed exclusively up to six months had a 22% lower risk of obesity at the age of children, and the risk of obesity in children would be 36% lower if exclusive breastfeeding was more than nine months.

Infants at the age of the first six months require specific nutritional intake and can only be fulfilled by breastfeeding. Even breast milk can meet the intake needs of infants up to the age of two. Addition of other intake beyond the needs of newborns will only accelerate the formation of fat cells that can cause obesity in children.

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