>I have the evidence of millions of healthy adults who were bottle fed - >please do not be so frivolous! I am not being frivolous at all. On the contrary, I am a serious, professional, research scientist. I challenge you to find me a single well-controlled study in which the formula-fed children had as good of a health outcome as the breast-fed children. Same for cognitive outcomes. Where are all these healthy adults you seem to see around you? I see people with asthma, allergies, ADHD, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, breast cancer, lymphoma and on and on and on -- all of which have been linked to formula-use. Every disease that has been studied has been shown to be found at higher rates among formula-fed children. With an average cognitive deficit of 5-8 IQ points for the formula-fed children, who knows what an entire community or country might accomplish if those children had been breastfed instead. Certainly, some individuals will still be smart, and perhaps 5-8 IQ points isn't so critical at the high end of the scale. But those 5-8 IQ points might make a real, functional difference in the life of a child at the low end of the IQ scale -- and that child's parents. And of course, we cannot forget all the children who died directly as a result of formula use. And I'm not talking about those who had anaphylactic shock. I'm talking about the children who died of necrotizing enterocolitis due to being formula-fed. No, they're not around at all to be counted among your healthy adults. I'm talking about the children who died of SIDS due to being formula-fed. They're also not around to be counted among your healthy adults. All of the mothers who died of breast cancer, leaving behind mourning husbands and children -- they are also not around to be counted among your healthy adults. Can you read the research showing that formula-feeding increases the risk of NEC and SIDS and then look a new mother in the eyes and tell her formula won't hurt her child? What if she's already had a child die of NEC or SIDS? THEN will you tell her what the research shows? What about a mother who has a family history of breast cancer and has just given birth to a daughter? Are you going to tell her it doesn't matter if she formula-feeds? What will you tell her when she comes back and says she's been diagnosed with breast cancer? Can anyone tell for sure if a specific case of, say, breast cancer, might have been prevented by breastfeeding? No, we can't (not yet). But why not give parents the information we do have available and then support them to err on the side of caution? Why is that so difficult? >Can you show me any credible references which show that all children >who >are bottle fed are damaged. No one is claiming that ALL bottle-fed children are damaged. No one. The research clearly shows that for every disease studied, bottle-fed children fare worse than breastfed children. And for those that include duration of breastfeeding, those breastfed the longest fare best. >Do remember that babies with diseases such as maple >syrup urine disease require artificial feeds as BF will lead to brain >damage. Don't forget those with galactosemia and the other metabolic disorders that preclude breastfeeding. And don't forget mothers with active TB and mothers with HIV in developed countries. Certainly there are a few occasions when formula -- especially specialty formulas -- carry fewer risks than breastfeeding. No one says formula is evil, or that formula should not be available for those babies who need it. No one. Just as wheelchairs are a God-send to people who can't walk, so formula has its place. But no one thinks it is a good idea to take infants and place them in wheelchairs and not let them ever get a chance to walk. No one claims that living life in a wheelchair is 'just as good' as being able to walk. And people would be outraged if children were not allowed to learn to walk. Wheelchairs are not evil. Formula is not evil -- it has its place. But most of the children who are formula fed will have some degree of damage from having been formula-fed, and most of those children could very easily have been breastfed, and probably would have been breastfed if health care providers had been HONEST with parents about the consequences of the choices they make. Tony, with all due respect, you are way behind the learning curve in the field of lactation support, protection, and promotion. You might want to spend a few weeks reading through the archives of LactNet to get up to speed. You should read Marsha Walker's two articles on the dangers of artificial infant formula (availalbe from JHL and ILCA) and Diane Wiessinger's article "Watch Your Language" from JHL. In fact, you would do well to start your LactNet archive education by requesting all of Diane Wiessinger's posts. Go to Dr. Newman's web site and read his work on the guilt issue. I agree with the poster who said that we cannot afford to spend our valuable time and effort on those who prefer to remain ignorant. Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Anthropology and Nutrition Texas A&M University _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html