WHO Ensures That Breast Milk Prevents Obesity
The benefits of breast milk are endless, that is why every day we can tell you about new properties. For nutrition experts from the World Health Organization, WHO, this valuable food could help combat one of the most worrisome nutritional problems of today: overweight and obesity.
The WHO has shown interest in understanding the reasons that lead the population to suffer from a new problem of malnutrition such as obesity. In previous times, the main suffering in this regard was malnutrition, but today the figures of overweight are alarming in different regions of the world.
As we know, obesity can lead to different health problems, this leads to the development of millions of cases of patients with different characteristics around the world. According to WHO research, malnutrition also exists in some regions, together with overweight, they have reached at least 44% in the countries analyzed.
These investigations found that people’s nutritional health improves considerably as long as they were or are fed breast milk in their first stage of life. In the same way, specialists assure that these data are extensive to mothers who breastfed, that is, that breastfeeding can prevent obesity in breastfed children and also in breastfeeding mothers.
Leptin prevents obesity and diabetes
It has been discovered that a protein in breast milk called leptin could work in the prevention of obesity, overweight and therefore other diseases related to this condition, including diabetes. This protein is not present in formula milk, it may not even be working properly in all versions of breast milk.
The correct functioning of leptin warns when the levels of fat in the body have been exceeded. This allows energy expenditure to increase and somewhat decreases appetite. This is stated in an article published in the “Journal of Molecular Neuroscience”. However, although this protein is found in all breast milk, it may not be working properly .
Low consumption of breast milk during the first months of life increases the chances that the protein will not work properly. For this reason, its malfunction could be one of the main causes of obesity. Similarly, the study indicated that as children they can hardly synthesize leptin, which is why it is present in the stomach of adults who were fed breast milk.
Also, research found that children who are breastfed have less risk of gaining weight when their mothers also have the protein in their stomachs. In other words, a mother who was breastfed can help prevent her child from becoming overweight. As soon as her leptin levels are working, at the same time, she will be protecting herself in two ways.
WHO suggestions
According to the study, children who are fed by breast milk have a better chance of survival, according to a study published in the journal “The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.” Therefore, it is not only a problem of nutrition but also of survival. In this sense, the World Health Organization warns that specific actions should be taken in this regard, evaluating the design of policies related to malnutrition for this cause.
In this regard, it points out the need to implement strategies to promote breastfeeding for global public health purposes, something that according to them is done in only 36% of the countries associated with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes . The objective of this organization is to stop the increase in overweight cases and to grow in terms of the number of nursing children in the world.
Breast milk, the best food for the baby
Breast milk is postulated as the best food for the first months of the baby’s life. It manages to improve survival and reduce the risk of obesity. It also improves the composition of the microbiota and the functioning of the newborn’s immune system. Using breastfeeding as a feeding method until the first year reduces the risk of developing allergies in the future.
