Hi all.  My dad sent me the above titled article from the editor of his
Diabetes Forecast magazine (Feb. '98 issue) & I thought to share it.  It
reads:
"This past week, a young woman came to my office for a follow-up appointment.
She had developed an overactive thyroid during her current pregnancy, and I
have been treating her with medication to control her thyroid problems until
delivery.  She is now in her 32nd week, so we have started discussing plans
for post-delivery.  She is very eager to breast-feed her newborn, so I will
stop the medication in hopes that she will do fine.  If she does not, then I
will re-institute medication, but I won't use radioactive iodine.  That way,
she will be able to continue nursing her child safely.
     Millions of research dollars have been spent worldwide trying to discover
ways to prevent type 1 diabetes.  But research indicates that breast-feeding
may be the most cost-effective intervention yet discovered.  A recent article
from Sao Paolo, Brazil (Gimeno AG, Pacheco de Souza JM:  IDDM and milk
consumption, Diabetes Care 20:1256-60, 1997), found that children who were
breast-fed for less than seven days, and those given cows' milk in the first
week of life, were about twice as likely to develop diabetes than those who
were breast-fed for longer periods.  This corresponds with findings from
around the world, including the United States.
     Research conducted by the National Institutes of Health on the Pima-
Papago Native American tribes in Arizona have greatly increased our knowledge
of type 2 diabetes.  The latest publication from this group (Pettitt DJ, et.
al.:  Breastfeeding and incidence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus
in Pima Indians.  Lancet 350:166-68, 1997), reveals an interesting aspect of
the worldwide type 2 diabetes epidemic.  By collecting data over a long period
of time (from 1950 to 1977), Dr. Pettitt was able to evaluate the effect of
breast-feeding on infants on their future risk of developing type 2 diabetes
and becoming obese.  Babies who were breast-fed exclusively for at least 2
months developed significantly lower rates of type 2 diabetes and less excess
body weight for their age group throughout the life span.  Babies fed cows'
milk or formula had the highest rates of diabetes and obesity, and babies who
had mixed breast- and bottle-feeding had results half way between.
     The effects are rather striking, and they point out the sometimes-
unforeseen consequences of changing cultural patterns.  In this case, the move
toward infant formula and cows' milk apparently has had an unanticipated but
tragic result.  This study is particularly disconcerting in the light of the
increases in advertising for infant formulas in areas of the world where
diabetes prevalence is increasing most rapidly.
    Breast-feeding is not the only practice that is changing in many cultures.
Around the world, people are consuming more saturated fats and total calories
than ever before.  People are also exercising less.  This is occurring
wherever urbanization is taking place.
    Even new drugs and pharmacological agents can't be expected to counteract
the terrible effects of these changes in social practices.  As we begin to
identify the sources of problems, we all need to try to improve our own health
and the health of the populations we are part of at every opportunity.
    Encouraging breast-feeding is a great place to start."

I intend to write a brief note.  If anyone else is interested, it's:
Neal Friedman, MD
Diabetes Forecast
1660 Duke St.
Alexandria, VA  22314

8-) Lisa Holstein
LLL of Columbus/Ft. Benning GA
group treasurer/newsletter editor
mailto:  [log in to unmask]