I think most USA babies start on that time honored food, a McDonald's french fry! Usually snuck to them by an older sibling, occasionally, by an absentminded mom. Jacie in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the weather is absolutely gorgeous. But for those of you coming to the conference in March, remember, we are at 5000 feet above sealevel and it can get down right cold. Plus, bring those skis for a trip to the nearest ski area. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 11:19:37 -0600 Reply-To: Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]> From: Kathy Dettwyler <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Early menarche Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >The new studies, however, suggest that bottle-feeding might also contribute to the early onset of menstruation." Several comments: (1) It's specifically LACK OF BREASTFEEDING, rather than bottle-feeding that "might also contribute" (2) Earlier age at menarche is detectable whenever nutrition and health improves, even in the absence of a switch from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding with formula (3) The original post that began this discussion was whether HORMONES in BEEF (and later CHICKEN) could contribute to earlier menarche, as opposed to simply more protein in the diet