Lucy, this is brilliant. And the data was originated almost on my
doorstep - at the Weizman Institute in Israel.
I searched the Internet and found the article so can fill in the date.
It was written by Natalie Angier for the New York Times and published on May
24, 1994 so this is not new - so why is this data not included in the list
of benefits of bf in all the manuals and journals and information to health
professionals? There are some closely guarded secrets - if only we had the
money for PR that is generated by the formula companies.
Thank you so much for sending this to Lactnet. It is just what my client
needs to show her ob.
Wendy Blumfield
NCT BFC
Israel Childbirth Education Centre
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lucy Towbin" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 4:41 PM
Subject: lack of breastfeeding and onset of early puberty
Okay, I got this started, and I finally found the article I had in mind when
I asked the question! It was in a New York Times article and the date is cut
off, but it quotes several research studies. The title of the article is
"Mother's Milk Found to Be Potent Cocktail of Hormones." It says "reporting
today in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Yitzhak
Koch and his colleagues at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot
Israel, have found that a gene in charge of producing an important brain
hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, is switched on in the mammary
glands of nursing rats, but not in the breast tissue of virgin rats. The
discovery is the first detection of a neural hormone being synthesized in
the breast gland proper, rather than starting out in the mother's brain or
some other part of the body and ending up in the milk." It states that
scientists think that this applies to humans and that GnRh exists in human
milk in concentrations far exceeding the levels seen in the mother's blood,
suggesting the breasts generate the hormone. It says that researchers aren't
sure but think that the hormone forestalls the maturation of sex organs
until the offspring is ready for reproduction. It could also assist in the
wiring of the brain regions in command of sexual behavior.
In studying the effects of GnRH on the physiology of newborn rats, Dr.
Sergio R. Ojeda, head of the neuroscience division at the Oregon Regional
Primate Research Center and his co-workers have learned that the hormone
suppresses the premature development of the reproductive organs of females.
Once ingested, the hormone fills in little docking sites studding a young
rat's ovaries and keeps them from responding to competing signals in the
body that might otherwise urge rapid maturation. Dr. Ojeda stated that he
couldn't say for sure that it's the same in humans but that the need for
such hormonal subduing could be even greater due to the estrogen soar from
the placenta shortly before birth. If so, the lack of breast milk could
result in the premature development of the ovaries. It states that the drop
in the age of first menstruation in developed nations has been attributed to
the high-calorie, high-nutrient diets but "the new studies suggest that
bottle feeding might also contribute to the early onset of menstruation."
It ends by telling that in Sweden it is considered unethical not to
breastfeed and there are milk banks for those who can't nurse, just as there
are blood banks. (I love this quote:) "And the comparison is apt, for both
are rivers of life whose depths scientists have yet to fathom."
Lucy Towbin, MSW, LCSW, IBCLC
Social Worker and Lactation Consultant
501-280-3347
-----Original Message-----
From: Lactation Information and Discussion
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of LACTNET automatic digest
system
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 11:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: LACTNET Digest - 4 Sep 2006 (#2006-998)
There are 2 messages totalling 59 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. breastfeeding and the onset of early puberty
2. Age of Menarche...slightly OT
Lactnet Archives are at:
LACTNET Archives http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
To Manage your Subscription, ie go nomail, index, etc, go to:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
Thanks- Kathleen Bruce, Kathy Koch, Rachel Myr,
Melissa Vickers, Karen Zeretzke, Karleen Gribble, LACTNET Facilitators
Questions to [log in to unmask]
***********************************************
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 18:56:13 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: breastfeeding and the onset of early puberty
I worked as the health education supervisor for a public health center in
eastern NC for 3 years. One aspect of my job was teaching puberty classes to
5th grade students. Consistently during that time, about 50% of white girls
had already started their periods, and about 75% of African American
students had started. This was in the spring of 5th grade so the students
would have been at least 10.5 yrs old. I felt the curriculum was outdated
and too late but the powers to be in North Carolina had decided this class
was appropriate at this grade level. I had students write questions that I
may or may not have been able to answer within the boundaries of what my
job was. Based on the questions asked, I would say 3-4 girls in each class
was already sexually active.
The NC Center for Health Statistics report that in 2005, one 10 yr old, one
11 yr old, five 12 yr olds, and thirty six 13 yr olds gave birth in our
state. In my experience, I have seen girls as young as 7 already having a
period, and public health clinics are seeing pregnancies at 12 years of
age. I have seen an 8 yr old, 3rd grader who was pregnant. I guess study
results would vary among different populations.
Barbara Whitehead, BS, IBCLC, RLC
eastern NC
________________________________________________________________________
Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and
IM. All on demand. Always Free.
***********************************************
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
-----------------------------
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 22:01:18 -0500
From: Rebecca DeYoung Daniels <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Age of Menarche...slightly OT
This doesn't relate to breastfeeding, per se, but the topic of menarche
which may or may not be influenced by breastfeeding. My oldest (barely 12)
daughter is a pre-professional ballerina and the thinner young women she
dances with do not usually get their menses until they have enough body fat,
regardless of weight or height. While the concerns of very early menarche
are valid, I have concerns about these young women (some are anorexic and
some are merely very, very thin) who do not get their periods until their
latter teens *or* experience extended amenorrhea while in their teens. I am
assuming from studies of amenorrheic athletes (dancers included) that their
bone densities are abysmal. I provide educational seminars for the ballet
students and bone health is an important topic...and I always work
breastfeeding their children into the discussion!
I also find it interesting that some young girls have quite a bit of
discomfort, even pain, as their breast buds "appear"...that very early stage
of development. My oldest daughter was in such pain that it reminded me of
how I feel during most of pregnancy, so this whole topic of physical
maturation raises the question about the role of genetics being (possibly)
stronger than external factors, even breastfeeding. Any thoughts or good
articles to share?
Rambling away without much focus but a lot of fascination,
Rebecca DeYoung Daniels, MBA, RD, LD, IBCLC, RLC & MOM to 5 in KS
***********************************************
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
-----------------------------
End of LACTNET Digest - 4 Sep 2006 (#2006-998)
**********************************************
***********************************************
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
***********************************************
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|
