I was shocked and appalled when I read the above headline.

According to Sven Carlsen, a Norwegian science professor, breastfed children are not healthier because they were fed naturally but due to conditions in their mother’s womb.

He said the health of the child is determined by the hormone balance in the mother’s womb.

When a woman has high levels of male hormones in the womb the flow of nutrients to the baby is affected and the hormones also affect her ability to breastfeed, making her offspring more likely to be bottle fed.

This suggest that babies who are not breastfed have typically also been subjected to poorer conditions in the womb and it is this that has affected their health not the lack of their mother’s milk, he said.

Mr. Carlsen’s report is irresponsible at the very least.

For babies and mothers too, breast is best.

The benefits of breastfeeding have long been well documented. The short list of benefits are: Mother’s milk provides immunity against infections, is easiest for a baby to digest, babies have fewer chest and ear infections, are less likely to be overweight, get childhood diabetes or high blood pressure, eczema, leukemia, or asthma. Breastfeeding is also FREE. For mom, breastfeeding also has many health benefits including a decreased risk of heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer.

The American Academy of Pediatrics still recommends breastfeeding as the best source of infant nutrition.