Dear Friends:


Breast Feeding May Boost Bone Density in Adolescent Mothers



NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jul 16 - Results of a study published in the July
issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine suggest that
adolescent mothers who had breastfed have greater bone mineral density (BMD) during
young adulthood, than those who had not.
BMD for five regions of the proximal femur and were compared in a total of
819 women aged between 20 and 25 years.
Compared to women who had not breastfed during adolescence, those who had
breastfed had significantly higher adjusted BMD in four of the five evaluated
regions. Moreover, BMDs in these women were equivalent to those in nulliparous
women.
In fact, say the investigators, adjusted BMD, "was actually 5% to 10% higher
in the women who breastfed as adolescents compared to their counterparts who
did not."
These findings, they conclude, "confirm that lactation is not detrimental to
the bone health of adolescents and may be protective."
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2004;158:650-656.


Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI
Maternal-Child Adjunct Faculty Union Institute and University
Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human Lactation
Support the WHO Code and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative

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